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. :)

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