Wednesday, December 24, 2008

holiday cheer

it's cold and rainy and twinkle lights abound. what can it mean except that the holiday season is here once again. i made the drive back up to northern california a few days ago. i was a little scared that it might be a bad drive because, a few days before, a bunch of the freeways and roads had been closed due to SNOW. yes, snow in southern california and las vegas even. unfortunately i didn't get any actual snow where i was but it was close enough that they closed the grapevine down for a day (which is exactly how i drive home). luckily the worst of the weather only lasted a couple of days and my drive was quite uneventful. however, i did see this while driving through the mountains.

snow

i've seen snow before. in california even. but i still had to resist to urge to just pull over and touch the snow on the hills. the last few says have been filled with last minute christmas shopping and last minute knitting, too. i don't usually do too much gift knitting but i do like to make my family hats and things for the holidays. i started kind of late this year so it's going to be a race to finish everything in time. i'll try to post those fo's once they are done.

hope everyone else is having a fun filled holiday. see you in 2009!

snowmen

Sunday, November 23, 2008

sun and moon

well, twilight madness has come and gone. i did go see the movie and friday and...let's just say that it could have been better. it just wasn't what i was hoping for. there were some really good scenes and the scenery of the pacific northwest was gorgeous, but there was a lot of stuff missing that i feel could have made the characters and the story a lot stronger. and the sequel, new moon, we just green lit as well. i have mixed feelings about it, as it wasn't my favorite book of the series, but we'll see what happens. i still had a lot of fun going out with all of my friends and the anticipation was exciting. edward is also pretty easy on the eyes. that helps a lot.

the weather is finally getting a bit cooler here in southern california. it was a brisk and sunny 70 degrees today. i am going up to northern california this week for thanksgiving and i have high hopes that it will be cold up there. with thanksgiving coming that means i have to get started on my christmas knitting (why didn't i start this months ago?). there really aren't too many people i knit for, as most of the people i know don't appreciate handknits. but there are a few people i want to make things for. i just started a hat for my dad. it's habitat, by brooklyn tweed. i am only on the rib brim so it looks pretty boring right now. i'll take a picture when there's something to see.

well i am off to watch the 24: redemption movie now. it's been so long since 24 was last on. i wonder what jack bauer's been up to. hope everyone has a good turkey holiday!

Saturday, November 15, 2008

sunshine won't go away

fall is here - though you wouldn't know it by the weather we're having in la lately. fall is my absolute favorite season. i love the cooling weather, the turning leaves (what we get of them) and everything else it brings. it did get cold for a couple of weeks, and we even saw a few drops of rain, but this weekend is supposed to be crazy warm. at least i get to go up for northern california for thanksgiving in a couple of weeks. it's not new england but it's definitely more season up there and it should resemble fall up there.

sadly i find that there's little time to knit these days, what with work and other obligations. however, there has been knitting going on and even an fo or two. first up are the yellow harvest mittens from the most recent vogue knitting.

Halloween 003

pattern: yellow harvest mittens (my ravelry page here)

yarn: 0.75 skeins of malabrigo merino worsted in lettuce

needles: us 7 dpn for the cuff and us 8 dpn for rest of mittens

notes: used an i-cord cast on as someone suggested. it was a bit fiddly at first trying to keep the stitches from stretching out too far but overall i liked the result. i used smaller needles to make a tighter fitting cuff and because i have small hands. they're actually still a bit long for my hands. they look a lot harder to make than they actually are and i love the bobble action.

i am starting to think about christmas knitting, which is kind of crazy. i can't believe christmas is almost upon once again. i don't usually knit too many christmas presents but i do think i'll probably make something for my parents and brother, as they seem to appreciate the handknits.

6 days until the twilight movie comes out. i have my tickets, do you?

Saturday, July 19, 2008

clever post titles are hard to come by

i've been back from my oregon trip for about a week now, even though it seems longer. oregon was beautiful, as it was last time. we had some overcast weather, but it was actually a nice change from the neverending heat of southern california summers. we saw the fourth of july parade and i even went to an ice cream social. there was also a great fireworks display on the beach, with people shooting off their own pyrotechnics right next to us. also went back to visit the goonies house in astoria, or. the people at the info center told us that there would probably be a film reunion in a couple of years. i really want to go. we had a great time just relaxing and eating and taking a lot of long walks on the beach. i love that the beach is so close to forests and trees in oregon. everything is so green.

i also got to spend a couple of days in portland, which was really cool. the last time i was in the area we only breezed through portland so it was nice to explore it a little bit more this time around. i managed to get to 2 yarn stores in portland. i never ever get to go yarn shopping when i am on vacation so this was pretty cool. first up was the yarn garden. the store had a pretty nice selection with 3 rooms for yarn along with a cafe that i think they are opening soon. it was nice but for some reason, i didn't get the best vibe there. it just seemed kind of not super friendly, but perhaps i was there on an off day. but i did manage to get a couple of things.

DSC07946 DSC07945

on the left is some koigu kpppm that i got for a pair of socks. the color reminds me of the landscape. and on the right is 2 skeins of drops alpaca. i've been looking for a good red alpaca to line some mittens i am planning to make.

later on, my friend and i were just walking around when we happened to pass by close knit. it's a cute little shop and the person in the shop that day was super nice. they had some fun sock yarns as well as malabrigo, which i resisted because i have soooo much of it at home. from there i managed to get 2 skeins of actual yarn from sheep in oregon. it's from imperial stock ranch and it's their 2 ply yarn in the color fawn. it's hard to tell but it's a really pretty dusty lavender color.

DSC07943

also bought one skein of pagewood farm sock yarn in earthy browns.

DSC07944

then before we headed for the airport, we stopped by voodoo doughnut for the awesome bacon maple bar donut. yes, it's a donut with bacon on it. might sound gross but it's like when you've having pancakes with bacon and you get syrup on the bacon. mmm... delicious.

even though i just got back i am off again this wednesday for san diego comic con. i am super excited to be going all 4 days this year and am hoping to see some really cool stuff like the twilight panel, pushing daisies panel, kevin smith, watchmen panel and maybe christian bale (if you haven't seen the dark knight yet, what are you waiting for? it's fantastic!). see you all when i get back! i leave you with a picture of bacon goodness.

DSC07938

Sunday, June 29, 2008

spring into summer

i can't believe that july 4th is upon us already. yet here it is, just around the corner and i couldn't be happier. i am heading out this weekend to seaside, oregon. i think it's about 2 hours west of portland and right on the coast. my friend has family out there and we took a trip out there a couple of years ago. for those who care, it's very close to astoria, or, setting of one of my favorite childhood movies, the goonies. i plan on doing a lot of reading, knitting and sitting on the beach. there are also supposed to be some awesome fireworks and other events going on. i am bringing along a sock a just started in sunshine yarns soft sock in aquatic. it's the spring forward sock from the new knitty. i would show you a picture but there's not much to see right now. my friend and i are also spending a night in portland on the way back. if anyone knows of any good places to eat or yarn stores in portland, let me know. hope everyone has a safe and fun holiday!

Saturday, June 14, 2008

hysterical blindness

so i just got back from having my eyes checked out and they dilated my pupils. now my eyes look like snake eyes or something and it's kind of creepy. good news is that i will be getting some new glasses soon. i've been overdue for a pair of glasses for awhile. they're not very exciting, just some black titanium frames but they're light and flattering and won't be scratched to hell like my old glasses. also stopped by the post office today to pick up a package that wouldn't fit in my mailbox. i was hoping that it was yarn, and it was! look what lovelies came for me:

DSC07802

this picture really isn't representative of the yummy rainbow colors of this yarn. it's 5 skeins of malabrigo silky merino in bahia that's destined to become a clapotis. yes, i have never made a clapotis. i think i might be one of the only knitters on the planet who hasn't made one. when i saw this color on ravelry, i knew i had to have some. well i am off to see the incredible hulk now. let's hope it doesn't suck!

Friday, June 13, 2008

unleashed

last night i went downtown for the monthly los angeles artwalk. my friend max neutra, was having a solo exhibit at the gallery inside of this awesome little pet boutique called pussy & pooch. i actually took the la metro with a bunch of work friends and we made it there in one piece. the only problem with the metro system in la is that it hardly goes anywhere that anyone wants to go. luckily, though, all roads of public transport lead downtown. we had a yummy dinner at an asian tapas place on 4th (no idea what it was called) and headed over to the show. the theme of the show was "unleashed" and there were 24 paintings, all of animals. a few of my favorites are below.

koi owl

jellies amy & unicorn

they were all great but the koi was my favorite. the pink really is as vibrant in person as in the picture. i could use some yarn that color. :) a bunch of pieces sold, including the hairless cat portrait, which we were kind of surprised by. anyway - the show is up until the end of july i think so if you're in the are, you should stop by. and if you have a dog or cat, they have some really awesome treats for your furry friends.

and since i don't have anything else for you, here are some more pictures of some of that yarn i told you i've been buying up lately. have a great weekend!

DSC07694
sunshine yarns harry potter club selection for this month - gilderoy lockhart (i am totally obsessed with dani's yarns!)

DSC07705
colinette jitterbug in elelphant's dream (i LOVE this color)

DSC07706
colinette jitterbug in wasabi squeeze

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

i can't believe that the weekend has flown by already. i had a pretty uneventful weekend. friday night i took myself out on a date to see kung fu panda. despite the screaming child behind me, i enjoyed the movie very much. unlike a lot of these animated films where it's all about the celebrity voices (remember the awful shark tale?), this one had a really good story and was very funny. i love that david cross played one of the kung fu masters. brilliant!

unfortunately i haven't been doing much knitting lately. my mind is constantly thinking about what things i want to knit next but it's hard to find the time to finish the stuff i already have started. i did finish one fingerless glove tonight. i am working on the delicato pattern by knitspot. i really love anne's patterns and have bought a bunch of them recently. hopefully i'll finish up the second one soon and will have some fo pics to show you. while not much knitting has been going on, i have been adding to the stash. i ordered some yarn from one planet yarn and fiber about a month ago but it was backordered. i finally got it today and it's soooooo pretty!

DSC07712 DSC07716

it's the lanas puras laceweight and it's a lovely single ply yarn similar to the malabrigo lace yarn. and i just love the colors! i've been a bit obsessed lately with the twilight book series by stephenie meyer (teen love between a vampire and a human - what more could you want?) so i've been looking for some yarns/patterns that are sort of inspired by the books. the colors above, twilight (blue) and passion (red), are just perfect. i have some shawl ideas in mind for them. of course i probably won't get around to them for awhile but at least i have the yarn now.

wow - 2 posts in 2 weeks. how long can this streak last? guess we'll see. off to add these yarns to my ravelry stash now and to read a few pages of persuasion before bed. good night!

Tuesday, June 03, 2008

hey, it's actually been less time since i last blogged than i thought. i thought i would log onto blogger and find that i hadn't written anything in at least 6 months. it's actually been only 3 months. time sure does fly. there has indeed been knitting going on, though somewhat slow going. the last major project i finished was a lace shawl made out of noro kureyon sock yarn. i know a lot of people don't like this yarn, but i gotta say that i really dig it. i love the noro colors and i even like how it's kind of thick and thin in places. gives it personality, i say. alright - here it is:

DSC07606

pattern: zetor scarf (ravelry page here)

yarn: 1 skein noro kureyon sock in 184

needles: knitpicks option size 6 circs (first time using these needles and they are awesome!)

finished measurements : 56" across

notes: for some reason i was having issues with the edge chart (stitch counts were not adding up) so i made up my own chart edge. when i blocked it originally, i couldn't get those fun, pointy little edges so i blocked it again after ordering some blocking wires and the edge is much pointier. i know lace is supposed to transform after blocking (which it does) but no one ever mentioned that blocking itself is kind of tricky. i had pins and wires and bits poking out here and there with a blobby yarn mess in the middle that wanted to be beautiful. but i am sure with a little more practice, blocking will be a breeze.

this was a really fun project and i am kind of in love with lace knitting. i added about 30 shawls to my ravelry queue after i finished this. of course i got distracted with other things but i do plan to start another shawl soon and have already stashed some more kureyon sock yarn. well this is all i can manage to post for tonight. hopefully the next post will be before the end of the year. :)

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

swatching

i have a problem. and the first step to recovery is to admit you have a problem. so here goes - i am a pathological starter. oh you know what i mean. you spy a cute sweater/hat/scarf/socks in a new magazine or on someone's blog and suddenly you need one, too. nevermind that you have 10 other projects on the needles. you need it now! and half the time you're not even using stash yarn. and then one day you wake up and realize that you're cold and that you have nothing to wear because you never finish anything. sigh. i am trying to be better about starting too many projects. i really think it's best if i only have a few things on the needles at once so i can actually finish something. that being said, i started swatching tonight for a shrug/sweater from knit 2 together. when this book first came out, i thought some of the projects were cute but i wasn't dying for anything. but then i saw this post and just had to make the shrug from the book. happily it's only $7 (dang - i just looked and the price has dropped to $5.50. get a copy now!!) on amazon right now so you bet i ordered it. the patterns in it are actually really cute and i can see myself making a bunch of things from it. so i started swatching for it tonight.

DSC06967

i am using a lovely gray-green shade of malabrigo (another problem i have) merino worsted called vetiver. i think i am pretty close to gauge here but i am going to try a swatch one needle size up, too, just to be sure. malabrigo march is starting soon on ravelry and i want to be prepared.

anyway, if i keep my word, you'll be seeing some fo's on the blog soon. :)

Thursday, February 14, 2008

happy lunar new year

i can't believe that it's the middle of february already. where does the time go? knitting wise, i've been really inspired lately by ravelry and various blogs and books. i just bought intertwined yesterday and i love it. it's from the person behind pluckyfluff and it's a book about spinning one-of-a-kind yarns and also includes projects for these yarns and bios on people who make the yarns. i don't spin and don't know if i ever will, but it's just so inspiring to see these awesome creations. my mom also sent my a wonderful package this week containing some new year's presents that included some really great sock yarn. i am too lazy to take a picture right now but i am very excited about them. hopefully i'll be able to translate some of this enthusiasm into actual knitting progress. i am so good at starting things but never very good at finishing. i've got some bad cold/flu right now so i am going to hunker down on the couch with a new project i've started. it's cotton and cabled and will hopefully be cute. i'll take pictures when i get a chance.

happy valentine's day! xoxo

Saturday, January 12, 2008

fresh start

wow it's been so long since my last post. i seem to say that a lot, but really, with work and everything else, i have a really hard time updating regularly. that's not to say that i'm not knitting or reading blogs every day. it just takes a lot of effort for me to post and i always feel like a need pictures (good ones, hopefully) and something to say. and what with ravelry, it's become so easy to just plug in info to keep track or your projects. and i spend hours just looking at new patterns or what other people have been knitting. it's so addictive. so i am going to try again to see if i can post more often. i am not making any promises but we'll see what happens.

the holiday season was spent doing a lot of gift knitting. i finally finished the stained glass scarf from scarf style that i've been making for my brother for over a year. it came out very nice in the end, but i really don't know if i'd make it again. working each row twice on little needles was not my favorite experience ever but the finished product was really nice.

Stained Glass Scarf

pattern: stained glass scarf
from: handknit holidays by melanie falick
materials: almost 2 skeins araucania nature wool in brown & 1 1/4 skeins claudia handpaint fingering in eat your veggies
needles: us 4/3.5mm addi circrs

started: july 2005
completed: december 2007

mods: the only real mod i made was to co only 40 stitches to make a narrower scarf. my brother doesn't like wide scarves. other than that i did as the pattern stated and just kept knitting until i was almost out of the brown wool. the scarf ended up over 6' long but my brother likes them long.

i have a few more finished projects to put up (hopefully) in the next week or so. i have also recently fallen in love with malabrigo merino worsted yarn. i'd seen it before and heard fabulous things, but i didn't actually try it until a couple of months ago. since then, it's the only thing i want to knit with and i've amassed quite a little stash of it. with a new year comes the promise of a clean slate. i am really hoping to finish or frog some old projects and start working into the stash. i really have so much yarn and i should use it. that way i can buy more. :) happy new year, everyone!

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

holiday cheer

it's cold and rainy and twinkle lights abound. what can it mean except that the holiday season is here once again. i made the drive back up to northern california a few days ago. i was a little scared that it might be a bad drive because, a few days before, a bunch of the freeways and roads had been closed due to SNOW. yes, snow in southern california and las vegas even. unfortunately i didn't get any actual snow where i was but it was close enough that they closed the grapevine down for a day (which is exactly how i drive home). luckily the worst of the weather only lasted a couple of days and my drive was quite uneventful. however, i did see this while driving through the mountains.

snow

i've seen snow before. in california even. but i still had to resist to urge to just pull over and touch the snow on the hills. the last few says have been filled with last minute christmas shopping and last minute knitting, too. i don't usually do too much gift knitting but i do like to make my family hats and things for the holidays. i started kind of late this year so it's going to be a race to finish everything in time. i'll try to post those fo's once they are done.

hope everyone else is having a fun filled holiday. see you in 2009!

snowmen
Read More


Sunday, November 23, 2008

sun and moon

well, twilight madness has come and gone. i did go see the movie and friday and...let's just say that it could have been better. it just wasn't what i was hoping for. there were some really good scenes and the scenery of the pacific northwest was gorgeous, but there was a lot of stuff missing that i feel could have made the characters and the story a lot stronger. and the sequel, new moon, we just green lit as well. i have mixed feelings about it, as it wasn't my favorite book of the series, but we'll see what happens. i still had a lot of fun going out with all of my friends and the anticipation was exciting. edward is also pretty easy on the eyes. that helps a lot.

the weather is finally getting a bit cooler here in southern california. it was a brisk and sunny 70 degrees today. i am going up to northern california this week for thanksgiving and i have high hopes that it will be cold up there. with thanksgiving coming that means i have to get started on my christmas knitting (why didn't i start this months ago?). there really aren't too many people i knit for, as most of the people i know don't appreciate handknits. but there are a few people i want to make things for. i just started a hat for my dad. it's habitat, by brooklyn tweed. i am only on the rib brim so it looks pretty boring right now. i'll take a picture when there's something to see.

well i am off to watch the 24: redemption movie now. it's been so long since 24 was last on. i wonder what jack bauer's been up to. hope everyone has a good turkey holiday!
Read More


Saturday, November 15, 2008

sunshine won't go away

fall is here - though you wouldn't know it by the weather we're having in la lately. fall is my absolute favorite season. i love the cooling weather, the turning leaves (what we get of them) and everything else it brings. it did get cold for a couple of weeks, and we even saw a few drops of rain, but this weekend is supposed to be crazy warm. at least i get to go up for northern california for thanksgiving in a couple of weeks. it's not new england but it's definitely more season up there and it should resemble fall up there.

sadly i find that there's little time to knit these days, what with work and other obligations. however, there has been knitting going on and even an fo or two. first up are the yellow harvest mittens from the most recent vogue knitting.

Halloween 003

pattern: yellow harvest mittens (my ravelry page here)

yarn: 0.75 skeins of malabrigo merino worsted in lettuce

needles: us 7 dpn for the cuff and us 8 dpn for rest of mittens

notes: used an i-cord cast on as someone suggested. it was a bit fiddly at first trying to keep the stitches from stretching out too far but overall i liked the result. i used smaller needles to make a tighter fitting cuff and because i have small hands. they're actually still a bit long for my hands. they look a lot harder to make than they actually are and i love the bobble action.

i am starting to think about christmas knitting, which is kind of crazy. i can't believe christmas is almost upon once again. i don't usually knit too many christmas presents but i do think i'll probably make something for my parents and brother, as they seem to appreciate the handknits.

6 days until the twilight movie comes out. i have my tickets, do you?
Read More


Saturday, July 19, 2008

clever post titles are hard to come by

i've been back from my oregon trip for about a week now, even though it seems longer. oregon was beautiful, as it was last time. we had some overcast weather, but it was actually a nice change from the neverending heat of southern california summers. we saw the fourth of july parade and i even went to an ice cream social. there was also a great fireworks display on the beach, with people shooting off their own pyrotechnics right next to us. also went back to visit the goonies house in astoria, or. the people at the info center told us that there would probably be a film reunion in a couple of years. i really want to go. we had a great time just relaxing and eating and taking a lot of long walks on the beach. i love that the beach is so close to forests and trees in oregon. everything is so green.

i also got to spend a couple of days in portland, which was really cool. the last time i was in the area we only breezed through portland so it was nice to explore it a little bit more this time around. i managed to get to 2 yarn stores in portland. i never ever get to go yarn shopping when i am on vacation so this was pretty cool. first up was the yarn garden. the store had a pretty nice selection with 3 rooms for yarn along with a cafe that i think they are opening soon. it was nice but for some reason, i didn't get the best vibe there. it just seemed kind of not super friendly, but perhaps i was there on an off day. but i did manage to get a couple of things.

DSC07946 DSC07945

on the left is some koigu kpppm that i got for a pair of socks. the color reminds me of the landscape. and on the right is 2 skeins of drops alpaca. i've been looking for a good red alpaca to line some mittens i am planning to make.

later on, my friend and i were just walking around when we happened to pass by close knit. it's a cute little shop and the person in the shop that day was super nice. they had some fun sock yarns as well as malabrigo, which i resisted because i have soooo much of it at home. from there i managed to get 2 skeins of actual yarn from sheep in oregon. it's from imperial stock ranch and it's their 2 ply yarn in the color fawn. it's hard to tell but it's a really pretty dusty lavender color.

DSC07943

also bought one skein of pagewood farm sock yarn in earthy browns.

DSC07944

then before we headed for the airport, we stopped by voodoo doughnut for the awesome bacon maple bar donut. yes, it's a donut with bacon on it. might sound gross but it's like when you've having pancakes with bacon and you get syrup on the bacon. mmm... delicious.

even though i just got back i am off again this wednesday for san diego comic con. i am super excited to be going all 4 days this year and am hoping to see some really cool stuff like the twilight panel, pushing daisies panel, kevin smith, watchmen panel and maybe christian bale (if you haven't seen the dark knight yet, what are you waiting for? it's fantastic!). see you all when i get back! i leave you with a picture of bacon goodness.

DSC07938
Read More


Sunday, June 29, 2008

spring into summer

i can't believe that july 4th is upon us already. yet here it is, just around the corner and i couldn't be happier. i am heading out this weekend to seaside, oregon. i think it's about 2 hours west of portland and right on the coast. my friend has family out there and we took a trip out there a couple of years ago. for those who care, it's very close to astoria, or, setting of one of my favorite childhood movies, the goonies. i plan on doing a lot of reading, knitting and sitting on the beach. there are also supposed to be some awesome fireworks and other events going on. i am bringing along a sock a just started in sunshine yarns soft sock in aquatic. it's the spring forward sock from the new knitty. i would show you a picture but there's not much to see right now. my friend and i are also spending a night in portland on the way back. if anyone knows of any good places to eat or yarn stores in portland, let me know. hope everyone has a safe and fun holiday!
Read More


Saturday, June 14, 2008

hysterical blindness

so i just got back from having my eyes checked out and they dilated my pupils. now my eyes look like snake eyes or something and it's kind of creepy. good news is that i will be getting some new glasses soon. i've been overdue for a pair of glasses for awhile. they're not very exciting, just some black titanium frames but they're light and flattering and won't be scratched to hell like my old glasses. also stopped by the post office today to pick up a package that wouldn't fit in my mailbox. i was hoping that it was yarn, and it was! look what lovelies came for me:

DSC07802

this picture really isn't representative of the yummy rainbow colors of this yarn. it's 5 skeins of malabrigo silky merino in bahia that's destined to become a clapotis. yes, i have never made a clapotis. i think i might be one of the only knitters on the planet who hasn't made one. when i saw this color on ravelry, i knew i had to have some. well i am off to see the incredible hulk now. let's hope it doesn't suck!
Read More


Friday, June 13, 2008

unleashed

last night i went downtown for the monthly los angeles artwalk. my friend max neutra, was having a solo exhibit at the gallery inside of this awesome little pet boutique called pussy & pooch. i actually took the la metro with a bunch of work friends and we made it there in one piece. the only problem with the metro system in la is that it hardly goes anywhere that anyone wants to go. luckily, though, all roads of public transport lead downtown. we had a yummy dinner at an asian tapas place on 4th (no idea what it was called) and headed over to the show. the theme of the show was "unleashed" and there were 24 paintings, all of animals. a few of my favorites are below.

koi owl

jellies amy & unicorn

they were all great but the koi was my favorite. the pink really is as vibrant in person as in the picture. i could use some yarn that color. :) a bunch of pieces sold, including the hairless cat portrait, which we were kind of surprised by. anyway - the show is up until the end of july i think so if you're in the are, you should stop by. and if you have a dog or cat, they have some really awesome treats for your furry friends.

and since i don't have anything else for you, here are some more pictures of some of that yarn i told you i've been buying up lately. have a great weekend!

DSC07694
sunshine yarns harry potter club selection for this month - gilderoy lockhart (i am totally obsessed with dani's yarns!)

DSC07705
colinette jitterbug in elelphant's dream (i LOVE this color)

DSC07706
colinette jitterbug in wasabi squeeze
Read More


Tuesday, June 10, 2008

i can't believe that the weekend has flown by already. i had a pretty uneventful weekend. friday night i took myself out on a date to see kung fu panda. despite the screaming child behind me, i enjoyed the movie very much. unlike a lot of these animated films where it's all about the celebrity voices (remember the awful shark tale?), this one had a really good story and was very funny. i love that david cross played one of the kung fu masters. brilliant!

unfortunately i haven't been doing much knitting lately. my mind is constantly thinking about what things i want to knit next but it's hard to find the time to finish the stuff i already have started. i did finish one fingerless glove tonight. i am working on the delicato pattern by knitspot. i really love anne's patterns and have bought a bunch of them recently. hopefully i'll finish up the second one soon and will have some fo pics to show you. while not much knitting has been going on, i have been adding to the stash. i ordered some yarn from one planet yarn and fiber about a month ago but it was backordered. i finally got it today and it's soooooo pretty!

DSC07712 DSC07716

it's the lanas puras laceweight and it's a lovely single ply yarn similar to the malabrigo lace yarn. and i just love the colors! i've been a bit obsessed lately with the twilight book series by stephenie meyer (teen love between a vampire and a human - what more could you want?) so i've been looking for some yarns/patterns that are sort of inspired by the books. the colors above, twilight (blue) and passion (red), are just perfect. i have some shawl ideas in mind for them. of course i probably won't get around to them for awhile but at least i have the yarn now.

wow - 2 posts in 2 weeks. how long can this streak last? guess we'll see. off to add these yarns to my ravelry stash now and to read a few pages of persuasion before bed. good night!
Read More


Tuesday, June 03, 2008

hey, it's actually been less time since i last blogged than i thought. i thought i would log onto blogger and find that i hadn't written anything in at least 6 months. it's actually been only 3 months. time sure does fly. there has indeed been knitting going on, though somewhat slow going. the last major project i finished was a lace shawl made out of noro kureyon sock yarn. i know a lot of people don't like this yarn, but i gotta say that i really dig it. i love the noro colors and i even like how it's kind of thick and thin in places. gives it personality, i say. alright - here it is:

DSC07606

pattern: zetor scarf (ravelry page here)

yarn: 1 skein noro kureyon sock in 184

needles: knitpicks option size 6 circs (first time using these needles and they are awesome!)

finished measurements : 56" across

notes: for some reason i was having issues with the edge chart (stitch counts were not adding up) so i made up my own chart edge. when i blocked it originally, i couldn't get those fun, pointy little edges so i blocked it again after ordering some blocking wires and the edge is much pointier. i know lace is supposed to transform after blocking (which it does) but no one ever mentioned that blocking itself is kind of tricky. i had pins and wires and bits poking out here and there with a blobby yarn mess in the middle that wanted to be beautiful. but i am sure with a little more practice, blocking will be a breeze.

this was a really fun project and i am kind of in love with lace knitting. i added about 30 shawls to my ravelry queue after i finished this. of course i got distracted with other things but i do plan to start another shawl soon and have already stashed some more kureyon sock yarn. well this is all i can manage to post for tonight. hopefully the next post will be before the end of the year. :)
Read More


Tuesday, February 26, 2008

swatching

i have a problem. and the first step to recovery is to admit you have a problem. so here goes - i am a pathological starter. oh you know what i mean. you spy a cute sweater/hat/scarf/socks in a new magazine or on someone's blog and suddenly you need one, too. nevermind that you have 10 other projects on the needles. you need it now! and half the time you're not even using stash yarn. and then one day you wake up and realize that you're cold and that you have nothing to wear because you never finish anything. sigh. i am trying to be better about starting too many projects. i really think it's best if i only have a few things on the needles at once so i can actually finish something. that being said, i started swatching tonight for a shrug/sweater from knit 2 together. when this book first came out, i thought some of the projects were cute but i wasn't dying for anything. but then i saw this post and just had to make the shrug from the book. happily it's only $7 (dang - i just looked and the price has dropped to $5.50. get a copy now!!) on amazon right now so you bet i ordered it. the patterns in it are actually really cute and i can see myself making a bunch of things from it. so i started swatching for it tonight.

DSC06967

i am using a lovely gray-green shade of malabrigo (another problem i have) merino worsted called vetiver. i think i am pretty close to gauge here but i am going to try a swatch one needle size up, too, just to be sure. malabrigo march is starting soon on ravelry and i want to be prepared.

anyway, if i keep my word, you'll be seeing some fo's on the blog soon. :)
Read More


Thursday, February 14, 2008

happy lunar new year

i can't believe that it's the middle of february already. where does the time go? knitting wise, i've been really inspired lately by ravelry and various blogs and books. i just bought intertwined yesterday and i love it. it's from the person behind pluckyfluff and it's a book about spinning one-of-a-kind yarns and also includes projects for these yarns and bios on people who make the yarns. i don't spin and don't know if i ever will, but it's just so inspiring to see these awesome creations. my mom also sent my a wonderful package this week containing some new year's presents that included some really great sock yarn. i am too lazy to take a picture right now but i am very excited about them. hopefully i'll be able to translate some of this enthusiasm into actual knitting progress. i am so good at starting things but never very good at finishing. i've got some bad cold/flu right now so i am going to hunker down on the couch with a new project i've started. it's cotton and cabled and will hopefully be cute. i'll take pictures when i get a chance.

happy valentine's day! xoxo
Read More


Saturday, January 12, 2008

fresh start

wow it's been so long since my last post. i seem to say that a lot, but really, with work and everything else, i have a really hard time updating regularly. that's not to say that i'm not knitting or reading blogs every day. it just takes a lot of effort for me to post and i always feel like a need pictures (good ones, hopefully) and something to say. and what with ravelry, it's become so easy to just plug in info to keep track or your projects. and i spend hours just looking at new patterns or what other people have been knitting. it's so addictive. so i am going to try again to see if i can post more often. i am not making any promises but we'll see what happens.

the holiday season was spent doing a lot of gift knitting. i finally finished the stained glass scarf from scarf style that i've been making for my brother for over a year. it came out very nice in the end, but i really don't know if i'd make it again. working each row twice on little needles was not my favorite experience ever but the finished product was really nice.

Stained Glass Scarf

pattern: stained glass scarf
from: handknit holidays by melanie falick
materials: almost 2 skeins araucania nature wool in brown & 1 1/4 skeins claudia handpaint fingering in eat your veggies
needles: us 4/3.5mm addi circrs

started: july 2005
completed: december 2007

mods: the only real mod i made was to co only 40 stitches to make a narrower scarf. my brother doesn't like wide scarves. other than that i did as the pattern stated and just kept knitting until i was almost out of the brown wool. the scarf ended up over 6' long but my brother likes them long.

i have a few more finished projects to put up (hopefully) in the next week or so. i have also recently fallen in love with malabrigo merino worsted yarn. i'd seen it before and heard fabulous things, but i didn't actually try it until a couple of months ago. since then, it's the only thing i want to knit with and i've amassed quite a little stash of it. with a new year comes the promise of a clean slate. i am really hoping to finish or frog some old projects and start working into the stash. i really have so much yarn and i should use it. that way i can buy more. :) happy new year, everyone!
Read More