rainy days

it's been quite awhile since my last post. i have been enjoying a nice break for the holidays back in my hometown of milpitas, ca. it's so nice not to work and to just chill out. good news- i got a new digital camera for christmas! expect more eye friendly posts in the new year. i'll be back at work on monday so i'll have more time to post next week. have a safe and happy new year!

warm fuzzies

my roomate and i are throwing a wee holiday dinner this weekend. neither of us has cooked for awhile so this might be interesting. but i gotta run to the store at lunch to get some groceries. i think i am going to make some hot cider. delish.

i have been knitting up a storm this week, too. hopefully some pictures to show up next week of a finished london beanie and a couple of scarves. i bought some koigu kersti yesterday for a small scarf and it is so lovely to work with. if you haven't tried it yet i think that you must.

also saw screenings of the wedding date and ocean's 12 this week. the wedding date was what i expected- cheesy and cliched romantic comedy. but dermot mulroney is a cutie and it had its moments. and i don't want to spoil ocean's 12 for anyone but i will tell you that it was not as good as the original, but how could it be? it was fun to watch and there were lots of little jokes if you are really familiar with the first one. the life aquatic with steve zissou also opens up this week (limited) which i really enjoyed. same wes anderson sensibility as the royal tennenbaums and rushmore if you like that kind of stuff. and those red knit hats are so cool. i might have to make one if i can get a closer look at it. so go out and see a movie, knit, and eat some christmas cookies this weekend. i know i will.

my secret pal rocks!

here is a picture of my final secret pal 2 package. my pal was none other than the fabulous kat of pinku. she has been a great secret pal and i love everthing she has sent. thank you thank you thank you. see her last package had some choice stuff. sorry but you can't have it. there is some vintage mauve mohair, some really cute oragami stickers (sorry no good closeup), these cool bead garlands, and best of all- some handmake ornaments. they look crocheted maybe and then starched into shape. trust me, they rock. thanks, kat!

i am currently in the throws of holiday gifting hell. i was at the mall yesterday and while not as bad as i thought it would be, still a pain in the ass. so much pressure. sigh. and the knitting. i have lots of that to do, too. what am i doing blogging? gotta get back to the holiday knitting!

tgif

i am so happy that it's friday and that i only have a few more hours of work left until i can go home. working just drains the life outta me, i tell ya. well next year i plan on getting a new job that will hopefully be less life sucking.

i have been trying to get my christmas knitting done but it seems to be neverending. my roommate also just got back which means that i have to work on her present in secret. we also have our friend staying with us this weekend (the one i made the convertible mitts for) so i also have to hide his christmas gift. i plan on making him a london beanie to match his gloves with the leftovers. i started it last night while he was out at a party and am halfway done! i still need to make my brother his hat and start my mom's shawl/scarf and her mittenettes. not to mention all the regular christmas shopping i need to do. i am so screwed.

i got to see a screening of a very long engagement on wednesday, too. i liked it a lot although it is very different from amelie. it's about a woman (audrey tautou) trying to solve the mystery of what happened to her fiancee (an adorable gaspard ulliel) during ww1. it has the jean pierre jeunet sort of strangeness but it's very gritty and serious. lots of bloody battles and trench time. unexpected actors like jodie foster, tcheky karyo and marion cotillard pop up as well as the usual cast of actors he likes to bring on. very enjoyable and beautifully shot.

well i am off to finish off my work before the day ends. i think we're going out to see closer (with gorgeous jude law and dashing clive davis) tonight and are having dinner at zankous chicken. mmm tasty! oh fun note- my roomie checked the messages on the machine today (i never do) and said that there was a message for us reserving a ham that fed 16. on investigation we found that our home number is only one digit off from the honey ham store's number. oh the holiday mischief we could do (but we won't). :)

blueberry surprise

this is the beginning of the koigu gauntlets i am making my roommate for christmas. koigu is so nice....

i spent last night with my friend knitting and watching the muppet christmas special (not good). she is making fern from the new rowan and i am there to help her out. but rowan patterns can be so vague sometimes that it is just frustrating. it just says "decrease at each end of following 5 rows" but they don't tell you what kind of decrease to use. i mean many knitters can probably figure this out on their own but my friend and i are both new knitters and it would be nice if they at least gave us a suggestion of what to do. why oh why do you make such pretty designs and then have vague directions?

flying turkeys

i hope everyone had a good thanksgiving. i got to visit home for 4 whole days and it was lots of fun. my mom made a delicious turkey and the best part, all the side dishes! sometimes i think i can live on side dishes alone. i got some knitting done, too.

what's this? why it's a completed knit.
pattern: basic cable hat from stitch n bitch nation
yarn: brown sheep lamb's pride limeade (less than 1 skein)

needles: us 6 bamboo for the ribbing, us 7 denises for the rest of it.
notes: easy peasy pattern. looks great in the lamb's pride. love this yarn so much! it looked like the hat was gonna be a bit short so i added 2-3 rows of ribbing before starting the cable and i added a whole cable repeat before decreasing to make sure it was long enough. it turned out just right so i would suggest that most people add some length to it unless they have a really small head. my head's not that big and i think it would definitely have been too short done as stated. oh and no pom pom for me.

pattern: midnight knitter's mittenettes
yarn: 1 skein manos del uruguay in 111, eclipse, a gorgeous colorway with orange, purple, blue and pink
needles: us 6 bamboo dpn
notes: this yarn is so luscious and beautiful. single ply, a little thick and thin with the most gorgeous colors. i die. definitely a desert island yarn. pattern was super simple and i love them! they keep my hands toasty while my fingers are still free to do stuff. go make some now. they only took me a few hours total. great for those single skeins and leftovers you might have.

and what's this? a little added to the stash? click on the thumbnail to see what i got this weekend.

gobble gobble

i was gone last weekend for a birthday party in northern california. i drove up with friends on friday morning. i finished the flap of the second convertible mitten on the way up and they were a hug smash at the party. no one could believe that i had made them and they fit my friend's hands perfectly. phew. my roommate took a picture of him wearing the mitts and i'll post those when i get them. all in all a very nice weekend. my mom had to work so i only saw her for a little bit but a little bit is better than nothing. i'll be driving back home this thursday anyways for thanksgiving. man i love me some stuffing and green bean casserole.

i finished the cabled hat from snb nation last night. no camera to take a picture of it. sadly my camera is not going to be fixed. i've had it for less than a year but it is not repairable. damn sony. i might try and get a new one with my christmas bonus but we'll see. but the hat turned out very nice and i love working with the brown sheep lamb's pride. i like how it is single ply and all that. which reminds me that i picked up this great hand knit vest from a thrift store while i was at home. yes hand made by banana republic (back when they had bananas on their label). the yarn is very much like the lamb's pride and i plan to unravel it and make a nice sweater. not bad for $3.50. :)

photo wednesday

yes here is my copy of stitch n bitch nation finally. i looked through it a bit last night but didn't have time to read all of the articles as i was exhausted after the screening of house of flying daggers and a pit stop at pink's hot dogs (mmm...chili). the movie was pretty good. i thought the plot was a bit cheesy, but that might have been the bad translations. and zhang yimou always has the most beautiful cinematography and choreography. and costumes! love them. check out his other movies, hero, raise the red lantern, and to live to get a feel for this great director.

these are the three patterns that i really want to make in the book right now. i love those armwarmers and the colorway is perfect. sadly the one place i know of that carries noro doesn't have it. and i don't want to pay shipping to order it so i am just going to have to wait. :( i am going to make the cabled hat in some lime green lamb's pride that i have in the stash.

next up, my finished koigu gauntlets:


pattern: elegeant gauntlets from the purl stitch by sally mellville
yarn: koigu kpppm (can't remember which colorway right now but the pic is pretty true)
gauge: recommended gauge for size small/med using size 3 dpns, size 2 for ribbing
notes: very easy pattern and lovely results. i only altered it a bit by using a smaller needle for the ribbing to make it tighter. i also shortened the thumb and hand a bit as i have small hands. i bought another colorway to make my roommate some for christmas. she is oddly attracted to them and when she wears them she is compelled to do ninja/wonder woman likes moves with the gauntlets.



and these are for my friend's birthday (today!) but he is having a party on sat up in northern california. yes we are roadtripping back to my hometown to party it up. they are convertible mittens and i still have half a glove to go and the mitten tops. this pattern is quite annoying and they make huge gloves. this is fine as he has large paws but i don't understand how it would fit anyone else. i will have to show you pictures with my hands in it next time for scale. i need to get these done before we leave on friday. wish me luck!

stitch n bitch nation

barnes and nobled finally got my copy of stitch n bitch nation in. none of the stores in la have it yet. i know because i was at two yarn stores and 3 bookstores this weekend and no luck i ran over there during my lunch break and picked it up. i haven't read any of the features in it yet but i can already tell that i don't like it as much as stitch n bitch. not that it's bad but it just seems to have more novelty knit items (cozies, fishnets, headbands) than i would like. but some people really like things like that and might have not liked the first one because it didn't have any. but there are definitely a few patterns that i would like to make so i will keep it. i'll let you know how it is after i read some of the articles. and i know i don't like the cheesy photos of models superimpsed onto exotic locales.

well i am off to a screening of house of flying daggers tonight. i hope it's good....

tgif

no, i didn't move away to a bush free country. i've just been too lazy to post since i still don't have pictures. but fear not, as i am still knitting every day. i finished my arm warmers and they are blocking on my floor right now. i really like them. i followed sally mellville's pattern without alteration and they look great. i am currently working on a pair of convertible mittens for a friend's birthday next weekend. i substituted patons classic wool for lamb's pride worsted, which is a bit heavier and they look kinda big. but my hands are really small so i can't measure for sure. i am going to make one and see if it's too big or not.

i saw the motorcycle diaries last night (finally) and it was amazing. it was beautifully shot and the actors were top notch (and good looking to boot). it's about revolutionary ernesto "che" guevara and a trip he took through south america when he was 23. everyone kind of knows him from what he did later but this takes a look at what he was like when he was full of idealism and doubt. i think a trip like that would change anybody. i have always had a love for the open road and this movie just makes me want to pack up and travel. go see it if you haven't yet.

have a great friday and great weekend!

good mourning

i can't really get into it but yesterday was a sad sad day. another four years? how could you fail me, america? i need some ice cream now....anyone in new zealand want to house some americans for four years?

onto happier topics- i forgot to take pics of my koigu arm warmers. one is just about complete. all i have to do is make the thumb. it's a really great pattern and easy peasy to follow. i thought that the new stitch n bitch was going to be out this week but i think they pushed it back another week. why? now i have to wait and i even had a borders coupon this week. guess i'll just have to use it on something else.

wait some good news. i have screening passes to see alfie tonight. jude law is too hot for words and the movie is all him. hopefully that will make me forget the mess we're in for a couple of hours. yay.

countdown to the recount

hello, i hope you had a good halloween. no costumes this year for me but i did go see a scary movie or two. note to self: not a good idea when your roommate is out of town. i hope you all go out and vote today. i did it early this morning before work. last night was spent with a few friends going over all of the props and making sure i didn't miss anything. please please go out and vote today. you can't complain about the way the world is if you don't participate in it.

and this is something fun i found at south park website. go here to make your own south park character. i sorta look like this. my hair is usually kind short/mid length but right now it's actually really long because i have been too lazy to get a haircut for awhile. i love south park. go see team america right now if you haven't yet. i think my roommate is going to buy the soundtrack today. whoopee!

been working on some secret stuff, so i can't say much. also bought some koigu (my first) to make the arm gauntlets from sallly melville's the purl stitch. maybe pics tomorrow since my roomie is back with her camera.

please V-O-T-E.

the great pumpkin, charlie brown

i am sad today because last night i came home to find my pirate pumpkin deflated. it had started to mold yesteday but i had no doubt that it would last until the weekend. however i was wrong and it was all squishy when i got home last night. it was pretty gross trying to dump it. is there some special method to keep your carved pumpkin fresh? i don't remember doing anything special when i was younger and they seemed to last. poo now we don't have anything for halloween.

started on some red mittens from lamb's pride bulky last night. nothing much to say about them, but i hope to have some new pics up next week.

weekend madness

it's been a little while since my last post. you must pardon me but i've had a packed weekend. most of the weekend was spent having a dead like me season two marathon with my two goods friends (who are married to each other). since my roommate is gone for another week, we had the whole place to ourselves. it took some stamina but we went through at least 12 episodes. we also carved a pumpkin (into a pirate face- arrrr!) and got to explore glendale a bit. i was looking for a halloween costume but really didn't like anything. i might have to opt of of it this year and just go see a scary movie instead.

since i was watching so much tv this weekend i got a lot of knitting done. the chevron scarf is just about done and i worked some more on the cabled one. my friend also knits (but she says she only does it around me) and has been working on a really pretty ribbed scarf for awhile now. she finished it this weekend and wore it out to dinner on sat. we took some pictures with her camera but she has to email them to me.

i also started the knitting bag from the hollywood knits book. i got it from my local library and the bag uses two knitting needles as handles. it worked up super fast in lamb's pride bulky. i have a ton of the stuff in the stash but not in any colors i wanted to use. so i actually went to suss design (open sundays!) and got a skein of black to use with some leftover charcoal grey yarn. since it's been kind of cold here lately things are taking a long time to block and dry. hopefully i will be able to seam it up tonight. and i recently ordered hollywood knits style from overstock.com and it just came yesterday. you're going to think i am a dork but i got it because gina torres is in it and she was in the tv show, firefly, that i am now obsessed with. plus there was a bag pattern in there that i really liked. it's similar in tone to weekend knitting but i prefer weekend knitting over this one. but some of the stuff is really cute and it wasn't a bad price so i am ok with it. plus- db sweeney is in it. hello- the cutting edge! "toe pick!"

i am sorry i am without camera. i know it sucks and if you actually read this, i commend you.

moist

yay! it's raining here in la! i love the rain and we get so little of it, that i rejoice when it does sprinkle a bit. it's so funny what they consider a "big storm" down here. it's barely even wet and everyone is freaking out. i love it.

the weekend was spent hanging out with good friends and watching lots of tv indoors. actually did go see team america on friday and it's damn hilarious. love those south park boys. this movie is not for those easily offended and have no sense of humor, be warned. the songs made us laugh out loud. the theme song goes, "america, fuck yeah!" and that's a pretty good indication of how the movie is. it's very tongue in cheek and we had a good laugh.

started a small cabled scarf using rachael's good ole cabled scarf pattern. just using some navy lamb's pride worsted i got when i first started knitting. i ripped out my noro multidirectional scarf to make a chevron stripe scarf. i just didn't think i would ever wear the other one so rip it goes. i wish i had pictures to show you but my roommate just went home for a couple of weeks and took her camera with her. so i will be photo-less for awhile. :(

balls

orange labrador scarf (sorry i don't have a better name)
yarn: crystal palace labrador
needles: us 15
pattern: good ol' seed stitch

i finished this scarf last week but haven't gotten around to putting up a pic until now. it's quite lacy and bumpy and i really like it. now i just have to wait for it to get cold enough in la to actually wear it. or go someplace cold for the holidays. :)

and here's bobbie bear in his finished glory!
pattern: blue sky alpaca bobbie bear
yarn: cascade pastanza (i think)
needles: us 5

i had a heck of a time picking up the stitches around his butt area. it just didn't look too great. i didn't take a picture of it but oh well, i tried my best. and the embroidery on his face is kind of whack because i don't know how to embroider. i used worsted yarn so he only ended up being about 7-8 inches tall instead of the 2 feet he is supposed to be. i'd love to make him in the bulky alpaca someday. too bad it's so expensive.

i made a ribbed hat from some rowan big wool in the stash two nights ago. i just needed a quick fix and something mindless for tv watching, you know? i don't have anything mindless right now for watching movies and stuff so i gotta get something started. oh and i ripped bloom back. i kept ending up with the wrong number of stitches and it was just annoying. not sure if or when i will start her up again. it's so cute but do i really wear vests?

last night i was out late at a bowl a thon for a great organization called coachart. they're a non profit that gives children with life threatening diseases free lessons in the arts. it's just great and the bowl a thon was a lot of fun. i am such a bad bowler and my arm hurts today. it was all worth it though for that one strike. hope everyone's fridays fly by. i am going to see team america tonight. yay- i've been waiting for it to come out and it's supposed to be hilarious! have a great weekend!

laundry fresh

i can't believe it's monday again! man- is there some way to make time go slower on the weekends? well i had a nice, relaxing weekend at least. saturday night i went out to the hollywood bowl to see norah jones play. it was my first time at the bowl and it's a nice venue. norah sounded amazing and we sat somwhere in the middle. we weren't super close but we could have been way further back. oddly, the man behind us decided to take a nap on his girlfriend's lap. not the way i would choose to spend a concert, but whatever. then he started to snore. loudly. and his girlfriend didn't take it upon herself to wake him up. is something wrong with this picture or is it just me? the rest of the evening was spent making hanging out with friends and making s'mores for my friend's birthday. she lives with her mom and the two cutest bassett hounds ever. who knew they were such big dogs? so i had fun petting the puppies.

a little bit of knitting done. i did a some secret knitting for my secret pal, so i can't show it to you. also picked up bloom again after working out what the heck the pattern was talking about at the neck shaping. i really want to make a nice scarf from pam allen's scarf style book. there is one made with 4 ball of karabella aurora 8 that is lovely. they all are, really.

i love the fall. bring on the pumpkins and cold weather!

mixed nuts

last night i went out with my roommate and friends to celebrate my roomie quitting her job working for satan. ok- her boss wasn't really satan but she was pretty close. and the funny thing is that the news took her boss totally by surprise. she is just clueless as to how poorly she treated her assistant and is oblivious to the fact that this might be the reason she has had a new assistant every year. my roomie was so anxious about work that she woke up in the mornings wanting to throw up and walked around the office afraid that her boss would yell at her for things that were not her fault. thank goodness she finally quit.

i re-started the bikini bottom from stitch n bitch. i just found at that my friend who i was making the bikini for is moving to albany, ny after the new year and i'd like to give it to her before then. not that she is going to need a knit bikini in the winter of ny, but i'd still like to finish it. let's see if i can defeat the intarsia heart this time.

i also got a bunch of new knitting books in the other day. i joined the crafters choice club, which is basically like bmg music club but for crafting books. i got 5 (gasp!) books at once. lemme tell you, i was in heaven. i received scarf style by interweave, debbie bliss junior knits, simple knits with a twist, the new edgings book by nicky epstein, and hip to crochet. i haven't look through everything thoroughly yet but the scarf style is brilliant and junior knits looks really cool. love debbie bliss. on sat, received a package from sp3 full of goodies. i keep forgetting my camera but i'll have pictures soon. thanks sp3!

an another note i have to admit that i have become addicted to the tv show firefly. it lasted only one season and everyone was telling me that i should watch it. finally got disc 1 on netflix, watched it, got disc 2 and am now hooked. it's such a fun show and i love the dynamic between all the characters. i am so sad knowing that once i blow through all the dvds, there will be nothing left. actually they just filmed a movie version of the show so hopefully that will tie up all the loose ends. i need to buy the dvd set now.

more stuff to buy and no $$. c'est la vie.

it's a rainbow

i started this scarf over the weekend. i had this yarn in my stash and just never got around to making anything with it. it's thick thin wool crystal palace labrador. the color is utterly luscious and tangerine. it's done in seed stitch to show off the texture of the yarn. i quite like it.


here's a closeup of the stitch. nice and textured.


and this is my friend bobbi bear. i like the fact that there isn't much to seam on him, but i am so not good at picking up stitches. i think it just looks bad. there needs to be a whole chapter on picking up stitches from different sides, with pictures! frustration.

i finally got the killers cd. i have been wanting it forever and am grooving to it at work. so much good music around lately. need to get the new joss stone and interpol sometime, too. hope everyone has a great weekend.

jungle green

my friend sent me this link, http://x-entertainment.com/articles/0913, and it is so funny. please visit it and laugh your ass off. i should buy a new box of crayons.

went to the post office today to send off my part of a trade for a fleece artist thrum mitt kit (so excited) and let me just say that going to the post office is a practice in patience and tolerance. in line with me was also what could possibly be the most annoying woman on the planet. clad in a pink, velour sweatsuit (who looks good in these?), she was unprepared, rude, wore too much perfume, and had a huge sense of entitlement that made me want to smack her upside the head. i don't know where these people come from but sometimes i think they like to congregate at the post office. sheesh.

bookmobile

i can open my own book store with all of the books i have bought lately. since i last posted, i used my 40% joann coupon to get the purl stitch by sally melville and then a michaels coupon to get the knit stitch. some of the patterns are a little too "old" for me, but sally has a lot of really good tips and i do like a few of the patterns. i also got my 3 new phildar magazines from knit n tyme yesterday. i loooove the '03-04 automne book. so many sweaters i want to make from that one. i just need to get me some phildar yarn. why oh why are you not in the states, phildar? can't you see that we love you, too?

and of course i have knitting add so i started a quick new project this weekend. it's a slubby orange scarf in crystal palace labrador. i bought the yarn for it awhile ago but never got around to starting it. i've gone through one ball and have one more to go.

and we lost our mail key this week. we only got one so my roommate and i have been leaving it on the table, etc. but it has since disappeared. i actually think i lost it since i was the last person to get the mail last week. left a message with the manager but no word yet. i just hope the postman doesn't get mad at us for a full box. he might just give us junk mail from now on. :(

look ma, two hands!

i finally finished my mom's green mitts and they are ready to send off. not much has gotten done this week. it's just been one of those work weeks where it just drags on forever. i can't believe that it is finally friday. i am so so happy.

this is a close up of the sierra quatro yarn. it's 4 ply with different colors. it's a very nice yarn and i would definitely work with it again.

and i've been going a little book crazy. found a 40% off coupon for joann's and used it at two stores. got katharina buss' big book of knitting and nancie wiseman's book of finishing techniques. love knitting books. i really want a big stitch dictionary book now. and i also joined crafter's choice and ordered a boatload of books. somebody stop me!

secret pal III strikes!

ooh look what i got in the mail the other day- present from my sp3. it included two luscious skeins of mohair from halcyon yarns in the brightest, most fun colors. also included was a kickass lip balm (how did you know i was addicted to the balm, sp3?) and a cool card. i've never used mohair before so this should be a treat! thanks, secret pal!

that reminds me that i really need to send my secret pals some pressies. i have stuff for them, i just need to package it up and get to the post. lazy me.

FO! finally pics of the hermione hat i finshed last night. it's still blocking on my floor but these pics will give you a good idea of what it looks like.

here is the start of the ribbing and then- tada! unblocked and super skinny. after a nice warm wash in eucalan, however, it softened right up. now it'll fit a human head.


pardon the crappy lighting but it was the best i could do this morning. the pattern was very well written and as it was my first cable project, i think i did ok. dpns and cabling hurt the hands a bit but it was worth it. it really only took me about a week, doing it on and off at night to finish it and it looks so much more complicated than that. it's gonna go in the christmas gift drawer. see how early i am starting?

nummy

i just need to say that i can't wait for stitch n bitch nation to come out. it's the book that started it all for me and i just know that its sequel is going to be great.

tomorrow i have pics of the almost completed hermione cable and bobble hat. the weekend was tiring, as i was running around trying to surprise my friend for her birthday. sunday was spent building shelves and hanging stuff for the new place, and we still have tons to do. however, we did manage to see both wimbledon and ass captain (aka sky captain) and both were highly enjoyable. wimbledon is quite a cheesy romantic comedy but it's great to watch paul bettany in a starring role. the way they shot the tennis was cool, too. and ass captain was phenomenal from a technical viewpoint, as the cgi sets looked very good. i liked the whole look of the movie and the story was pretty good. it has excellent pacing. very different and cool.

well this post doesn't have much knitting content but more tomorrow. i am going to watch my friend play some softball tonight. so wish her team luck!

dagnabbit

well it seems like my internet at home is not working. it was working the day before but for some reason is now unable to connect. my roommate's line, however, is just dandy. this is so frustrating.

i have started the cable part of the hermione hat and it seems to be going ok. had a false start but was able to unknit back to the point where i screwed up without much incident. i keep trying to knit when my roomie is in her room watching tv and sticking it under a pillow when she came out. and now thanks to yarn harlot, i have thoroughly become obsessed with making thrum mittens. of course i cannot make them for myself (i live in los angeles) but they would make a great gift for my friend in scotland. every time i go there i freeze me little fingers off so i think she would appreciate some mitt goodness. but i can't spend any more money on yarn right now. sniff.

and i was just watching dead like me the other night (on in demand, so i was watching i think episode 2 season 2) and when george goes to the police station, she finds someone who has been stabbed with knitting needles. as the perpetrator said, "he had it coming".

wizards and cables and bobbles oh my!

yes i started a new project, but this one has a reason. my roomie's birthday is this sat and i thought she would love this hermione hat, being the potter fanatic that she is. i haven't done any cabling before and am excited to try out my new cable needles. this pattern is from atypically.net by the way. maybe i can make her a gryffindor scarf to go with the hat for christmas.

it's cascade 220 in 8895 (bright red) and i started with a size 6 needle but it looked like it was too big so i went down to 5 dpns. yeah i am loosy goosey with the yarn.

i also forgot yesterday that i put up a bunch of stuff on the stash page. i've been buying way too much stuff lately.

haha- yay for ioan curiousity. it's pronounced YO-an GRIFF-ith for those who don't know and he's welsh. i think knit nut and i are going to start a craze.

and i have internet at home now. woohoo! this is a great day. i'll try and post some progress on the hermione hat later tonight. i hope to at least finish the ribbing so i can get to the fun stuff.

last picture show

oh happy day! i was able to figure out my friend's camera (while mine is repaired) and can finally show you some pics. i told you that if you held out long enough, you would be rewarded. first, some belated thanks to my secret pal (sp2) for her wonderal surprise. i got this a couple of weeks ago and it just made my day. take a lookee:



the goods: we have some tasty little candies, those fun bubbly type stickers, two cool pens, shiny silver thread from avril (i think i can mix this with my habu thread and make something really cool), and a crochet necklace kit. oh but i save the best for last. these have to be the cutest erasers ever made:



they're mini sushi! can't get much better than that. thanks, secret pal! you're the best!

now onto some wips for you. this is the beginnings of bloom from rowan 36. it's taking me awhile to finish, as 5s are quite small for me and they're aluminum needles. i really don't like aluminum needles. they make that clacking noise that is like nails on chalkboard to me and they're slippery as hell. but i got a big lot of straights on ebay (my starter set) so i use them. note to self: get bamboo straights in the sizes you don't have. anyhow- here is a very small part of bloom:



i am using lana d'oro tweed in aubergine and it's very squishy and nice to work with. the flecks are kind of fun, too. i do like me some tweed once in awhile. next up is that dog sweater i have been working on for gonzo. i have seamed everything and all i need to do is the leg ribbing, but i am lazy. the back ribbing flares out a bit but i picked up the correct number of stitches. hm i should just redo it but i am not going to. i can bet you that my dog will wear it for a combined time of 5 minutes in the next 5 years. he's fidgety and does not like to wear things other than himself.



see the little leg openings need ribbing. i think the seam looks ok but i have no idea if i am doing it right or not. well he won't mind if it's a bit off.



these are the gloves i am making for my mom in cascade sierra quatro. it goes with a scarf and cap i made her but i already gave those to her. for these gloves, i started off with a pattern but found it to be wonky so now i am just winging it. she's my mom so she'll wear it no matter what, right?

and this next picture is for knit nut, who has a thing for ioan gruffudd just like i do. i think he is extremely talented (and cute) and i am happy to see that he is getting some attention. this was from the fantastic four panel at comic-con. so sad that we couldn't get closer but this is still pretty sweet.



on behalf of ioan, happy monday!

a little nuts

this morning we had a little "incident" at the apartment. my roommate and i have only been living there for about a week. both of us were gone for the long weekend and we both work full time. well this morning, as i was changing for work, i heard some loud pounding outside. i figured someone was trying to knock on another neighbors door or something. then i hear breaking glass and then yelling. i throw on a shirt and go outside to see if anyone is hurt and i see that it's my roommate who is yelling. i peek outside and there is a woman i've never seen before yelling back at her. the conversation:

roommate: who are you? where do you live?
crazy lady: you know! you know! all day walking in my head!
roommate: no- i've never seen you before. do you live next door, below us?
crazy lady: you know! son of a bitch!
roommate: hey- i'm no son of a bitch. i'm a girl!
crazy lady: you are destroying the world! you work with satan! son of a bitch! all day with your computer. turn it off!
roommate: we don't have our computers hooked up yet. you can come see.
crazy lady: i hear it! fuck you! son of a bitch!

and this basically continues as she walks back down to her apartment. seems our showering was disturbing her so she decided to pound on the bathroom window slats so hard that they broke. thank goodness no one was inside the shower at the time. and apparently all that pesky walking to the fridge and bathroom for the last week is making her go insane (if she wasn't already). so we've called the property manager and we are going to file a police report tonight. it kind of creeps me out because she's already shown a violent side. hey- i just sit at home and knit, not do aerobics at night. metal sticks aren't that loud.

back in the saddle again

well here i am back at work. blah. not so much fun. and it's been sooo hot here in california for the past week or so. i thought it was hot in the bay area but the valley is even worse. i am going to get some knitting content in here first and then tell you about my weekend afterwards. i joined up for secret pals 3, and just got an email from my secret pal. too cool. i have already got some things for my new secret pal and gifts for my sp2 pal. but i am going to answer the secret pal questions again so that my new pal can take a gander and scope me out.

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer high-end/natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you?
i do like natural fibers but acrylic can be good if used wisely (rowan asc, calmer, phildar yarns). not a huge fan of red heart but lion brand has a good selection.

2. Do you spin? Crochet?
bought a starter spinning kit that i haven't used yet and i want to learn to crochet because it seems like there are so many nice crochet patterns out there lately.

3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.)
allergic to any furry animals (but i have a childhood dog that lives with me parents and still kiss and hug furry creatures- even if they make me itch). pollen, dust, and strong smells are icky!

4. How long have you been knitting?
only about 8 months.

5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
yes

6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)
apple, jasmine, nothing too strong

7. Do you have a sweet tooth?
definitely. i love chocolate and gummi candies (haribo is the best), red vines, cookies....the list goes on. i am not a huge fan of dark or white chocolate. it's milk all the way, baby.

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do?
draw, play guitar, photography, creative letter writing

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if you want to make her a CD)
indie rock and folk/pop. the yeah yeah yeahs, garden state soundtrack, rachael yamagata, the cure, the killers are some examples. yes i can play mp3s.

10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer?
i like all colors. have been into bright green and lime lately along with purple tones and pink.

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
live with one roommate and 1 fish, kai.

12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know)
to not have to wake up to an alarm and to live near the ocean.

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?
rowan asc, big wool, thick and thin yarns, brown sheep

14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
100% scratchy acrylic or wool, novelty yarns that are too crazy

15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s?
toys (teddy bears and animals), phildar, rowan big wool and ribbon twist

16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
scarves, toys, sweaters, and i want to get started on socks

17. What are you knitting right now?
bloom from rowan 36, doggie sweater, mittens for mom

18. What do you think about ponchos? (this is really a curiousity question for us)
they're alright but i think they would be a disaster on me.

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?
bamboo straights or addi turbo circs. have been wanting to try addi bamboos, though.

20. How did you learn to knit?
friend taught me the knit stitch, mom taught me the purl, the rest was from stitch n bitch and the web.

21. How old is your oldest UFO?
about 6 months. it's the hearts bikini from stitch n bitch.

22. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird?
i like stitch (from lilo and stitch), south park, the simpsons, wallace and gromit. favorite animals are dogs (pugs and weiner dogs are my faves), hippos, frogs, and bunnies.

23. What is your favorite holiday?
christmas and halloween.

24. Is there anything that you collect?
what don't i collect? magazines (knitting and non), books, comics, yarn, pens, postcards, gnomes...

that's it for that. hope it was helpful to my secret pal.

well i am back at work. i took yesterday off to drive back to la. i left at about 4pm and got back a little after 9pm. why does the drive back always seem so much longer than the drive there? but i had a wonderful long long weekend with my mom and dad. i got to play with my dog, gonzo, and knit knit knit away. i gave my mom her scarf and hat and still need to finish one mitten for the set. she knits, too, and is making a beautiful sage green sweater with some tlc boucle stuff. i don't know how she knits with it because i tried and it's just too curly and slippery for me. i also made a couple of hats using lion thick & quick wool. it's so fun to knit things on huge needles. i made the little shrug from the cover of rowan's big just got bigger for my mom's friend. i took a picture of my mom in it just to see how it looks. and my digital camera is still broken so you'll have to wait until i finish the roll. sorry.

we also went to knitting arts for their labor day sale. i managed to come out of it with 10 balls of ggh somoa. 6 in purple and 4 in pale lavender. not sure what i am going to make from it just yet but i would like to get my hands on the new rebecca 28. love all the new fall mags. i am also dying for the 2003 phildar fall catalog. must get it before everyone sells out of it. i also got something for my secret pal, so i can't share.

i watched a whole lot of movies this weekend, too. see the sidebar for all of the air conditioned fun that my mom and i had. i also got a chance to visit the san jose museum of art, where one of my favorite artists was having an exhibit. the exhibit is "nothing ever happens" by yoshitomo nara and it was great.


this image was in the show, along with sculptures, drawings, and paintings. love love his stuff. the girl on my profile sidebar is also a nara image. so if you live near san jose, go see the show. admission is free so you have no excuse. hope you all have a wonderful wednesday!

on the road again

sorry it's been while since me last post. i've been at home for the past 5 days with my parents for the long weekend. i made it extra long and took a couple of days off to spend some more time with them. it takes me about 5 hours to get from la to the bay area so i miss about half a day each way. i'll probably drive back to the smoggy state in a couple of hours. it's been a really good trip though. i got to see some of my old college friends, ate some bbq, and of course, yarn shopping! knitting arts in saratoga was having a labor day sale with 20% off the whole store with lots of other things at a larger discount. i definitely recommend this store to anyone in the area. lots of yarn and patterns, very nice staff, and frequent sales. more on what i bought tomorrow. hope you all had a great labor day. i'll be back with a longer post from work tomorrow. hope it's not as hot in la as it has been here. fat chance on that one. stay cool!

lightning strikes twice

i hate hate hate the glendale 134 freeway. people are super rude (more than regular la drivers) and there is a lot of sudden stopping. today i was involved in another fender bender just a half mile away from my exit. two cars behind me stopped too close and smacked into the car in front of them, them into me, and me into a brand new 2005 altima. luckily no one was hurt and damage was minimal. the lady with the altima was a tad peeved but it's understandable. this is the second time in a month that someone has rear ended me on the freeway. my poor little car.

i finished larissa's meathead hat. i wanted to snap a picture for you so i could post it later but my roomie's camera was in her car and i sent it off today. so no pics of the meathead. i hope it came out alright. i also knit some more on my mom's second glove. i think i have second glove syndome, if there is such a thing.

the apartment's looking a little better. we still have no gas and the a/c is still broken but what are you going to do?

i'm a meathead

yesterday i received my package for the meathead knitup and i brought it to work today to see if i could sneak some knitting time. the yarn was quite thick doubled and i used my size 17 needles. i made my first scarf with them but now they seem huge. i wonder what 19s would have been like. i didn't want to go out and buy needles for the project and i am a loose knitter so i figured it would be alright to use what i had. well i had just enough yarn to bind off and leave a tail. hopefully this will be long enough to seam it later tonight.

tried to sew up the dog sweater last night. that was a bit of a disaster. i know lots of people hate to finish and now i know why. i had such a hard time and finally only had an inch or so that i can actually use. the rest was ripped out. what kind of stitch do you use to stitch together ribbing? hmmm. but i want to get this done by the weekend so i can try it out on my dog over the holiday.

in unpacking news, we tried to organize and put out our dvd collection. both of us have a lot of dvds, not to mention old vhs. took us almost 2 hours to go through them all and weed out the doubles, alphabetize them, and put them on a shelf that is way too small. we didn't even get to the tv series dvds and the vhs. yes we like to stay at home and watch movies. how else would i get any knitting done?

little things

knitting- yeah right! this past weekend was spent moving and cleaning and trying to unpack. i just have to thank all of my friends who came out to help us move all of our stuff. it took us more than 6 hours and i couldn't have done it without you. our apt looks like something exploded in it right now. i have no idea how we are going to unpack it all. i also had to clean my old apt, which was not fun. you never realize how much stuff you have until you try to move it. makes me want to live out of a suitcase. but my roommate's father did bring down a beautiful wooden chest that i have stuffed with yarn already. don't worry, there's plenty more that doesn't fit.

to give myself a little break last night, i went to a showing of suspect zero. it wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either. the love story involved was uneccessary and didn't seem genuine, while the whole serial killer bit was pretty predictable. however, it wasn't twisted bad. twisted is the basis for all of my bad movies (until i see something worse). i don't know what happened in that movie but it was so bad i was laughing. ashley judd was unlikeable and her character wasn't too bright. even alien vs predator was better. you just have to see it to know what i mean.

check out the gorgeous side to side sweater at glampyre.

anonymous no more

the wonderful lyn of comsomme's has come to my rescue once again by telling me how to get rid of the blogger comment system and get haloscan. now you don't have to sign in when you want to leave a comment. that is so annoying. not that there are tons of people to comment, but if there were, they could.

i am so glad it's friday. we get to pick up the keys tonight to our new apartment and i am going to move a few boxes in. yay for my own room! i have been sharing for over a year. don't get me wrong, my roomie was the coolest but sometimes you just need some breathing room. hey- anyone knows what goes with a dark brown duvet? i finally found one but now i am at a loss at to what goes with it. queen size sheets are expensive! almost makes me want to keep my twin. nah- not really. i get a big girl bed finally. oh the joy.

finished knitting the first short row "sleeve" on bloom last night. apparently i am not too skilled at wrapping stitches cause there are a few holes and one really weird thing happened. but i moved on and decided that this is going to be the back piece. i am sure the front piece will look a lot nicer after i work out all of the kinks on this one. sometimes i can be a knitting perfectionist, ripping things out that have a teeny mistake. but other times, i just let it go. how about you- do you frog or do you forget it?

happy friday!

la chick

went to see nicotina last night, a film by hugo rodriguez. it was actually better than the reviews i had read about it. i usually try not to go to movies based on reviews but i knew so little about this movie i read some to figure out what it was about. there are some bank codes, diamonds, a couple of russians, and a deal gone bad. yes, it is tarantino-esque but that's not the overall impression i got from it. all of the characters were well developed the story was interesting. the coincidences of events felt a little forced at times but overall it was a good popcorn movie. my friend ryan suggested that it could have been more interesting if they had followed the person with the cigarette and that cigarette was what killed them. it'll make more sense if you see the movie. and you know i am all about the diego luna love, but the other guy in it, lucas crespi, is very good looking. apparently he's been on tv in argentina but not too many films yet. make another one, dammit! i also watched ella enchanted from netflix last night. not good, not good. it was just cheesy and i thought the parts with the giants had bad special effects. you could practically see the blue screen. i cringed and almost couldn't watch the last song and dance scene.

i was out for most of the night, so no real knitting news. :(

strange

i had this whole long post about a dream i had last night but i decided not to post it for fear of everyone thinking that i am insane. but i'll tell you one little part. i was playing a strange competetive sport with my friend jana that involved us kicking a small-ish bouncy ball. i told her about it and she thinks that maybe the olympics had an influence there.

last night i worked some more on my dog's sweater. i am actually getting to the back shaping and once i am done with that, i only have to add the ribbing to the back and legs. i want to get this done before i go home in a couple of weeks.

thanks to all the comments regarding my troubles with thrill. i am going to try again until i can get it. i wish i had some knitty friend to help me in person. i will not let thrill defeat me!

that's it for right now. i am going to see nicotina tonight with my friend ryan at the vista. it's probably my favorite theater in la and is within walking distance from where i live now. i will definitely miss it being so close. anyone who lives in la should see a movie there. it's beautiful inside and the matinee everyday is only $4.75. regular price the rest of the time is $8. with movie prices these days, it's a real steal. until tomorrow!

moving countdown: 4 days...

frustration

ahhh! i was able to snag lots of luscious rowan cotton tape this weekend (on sale!) at suss design. i was all ready to start thrill from it's a tape thing, did the ribbing, and then started the simple lace/open pattern. ok, is it just me or can i not do this? it's the same pattern used on carla so i know people are doing it. but i can't seem to make it work for my 42 stitches. if i take 2 off for each knit stitch at the end, it leaves me with 40 stitches. however, as i see it, the pattern is worked in multiples of 3 stitches. it's yarn forward, slip 1, k1, pass slipped stitch over. i just can't seem to get it and it sucks big time, cause i really wanted to make that tank top while the weather was still warm. sigh. i will look at it again later.

but i got my yarn from jimmy beans wool. gotta love that california shipping, cause it was here in a flash. i have some r2 paper in blue and pink, and some cascade lana d'oro tweed in aubergine, a strange purple, red color. i decided to start bloom from rowan 36 with the tweed, since i could not figure out thrill. it like how it is knit sideways. i have to find a sideways sweater to make. love the way that they look.

major updates on the stash page coming soon. i need to borrow a camera. i bought lots of yarn this weekend and even checked out a new shop. more on that tomorrow.

still packing up the apt for the big move on saturday. we are having a moving party and already have friends signing up to help. it's great to have such good friends. speaking of which, i almost forgot that i received some cool japanese magazines today from may lyn of consomme from a little swap we did awhile back. she also sent me a beautiful pair of green earrings that she made herself. how did you know that i love green? thanks, may lyn! i will definitely get a picture of them.

and i also received my first secret pal gift. man the mail love just keeps coming. everything in it is fantastic and my secret pal is in tokyo. i will post more about all of my new stash/gifts once i get the camera back. but thank you, secret pal. you totally made my monday!

now i am starving but i don't go to lunch for another hour. i don't know if i am going to last.

moving countdown 5 days...

i couldn't help myself

after yesterday's r2 breakdown, i vowed not to buy anymore knitting related materials. but of course i was perusing the usual blogs and sites today and just got the urge to get some of the new fall pattern books. i ordered from kangaroo, which, even with the exchange rate and shipping, is cheaper than buying all of the books here in the us. i bought rowan big just got bigger, ribbon twist, jaeger jb31 and debbie bliss alpaca silk. all pattern books, no yarn. sigh.

last night we rented connie & carla, which i have actually seen already. just a mini girl party before my roommate packs up for boston tomorrow. it's really funny, if you haven't seen it. it's excellent all the way up until the last 10 minutes or so. the ending is just somewhat abrupt and a little cheesy but we had a lot of good laughs.

tomorrow we get to sign the lease for our new apt and i might try and head out to the fiber fest here in santa monica. i want to try and catch the new movie nicotina because it looks interesting and diego luna is in it. i heart diego luna. since i have no new pics to share with you, i will leave you with this one from comic-con last month. happy weekend!

good girl

i didn't bring home anything from my jaunt to la knitterie parisienne. they have so much yarn there, it's just incredible. i just wish they had a larger space to put it all. i hate having to squeeze against the wall whenever someone needs to pass. they have some heavenly colinette point 5 in stock, but i resisted. i need to go to the uk where colinette is cheap. so i didn't buy anything there but i have to confess that i placed and order at jimmy beans wool today. after seeing the lovely r2 tasty at seeds of reverie, i decided to take the r2 plunge. there have been so many mixed reviews on r2 and i found the patterns somewhat confusing. however, the lovely example prompted me to get some r2 paper yarn. it's one sale for anyone else who wants to give it a whirl. i bought some in blue for tasty and pink for a tank top and threw in a few skeins of lana d'oro tweed in aubergine for the vest in the new rowan 36.

and killer shrimp was delish. if you're in studio city or marina del rey, you have to try it. it's addicting.

my dark secrets

oooh i see that my secret pal left a comment and is watching me. secret pals are fun! that reminds me that i hauled my butt to the post today and mailed off the first package i am sending to my secret pal. i do hope that she likes everthing.

worked a little on my dog gonzo's sweater last night. this was after a jaunt to ikea where i only purchased one item. did i tell you that we have found a new apartment? it's in glendale and is so much bigger than my place now. single room, here i come! we plan to do some painting to give it a little kick but it's going to be great. i am a little apprehensive about moving all the way out to glendale, so let me know if there are any good places to go out there. and is there a lys nearby?

having dinner at killer shrimp tonight over in studio city. if you haven't been there, you need to go. buttery, spicey shrimp with bowls of rice or baskets of bread. mmmmm...and i am meeting my friend at la knitterie parisienne beforehand so we can waste time before we have to meet for dinner. i'll try to be good!

i'm a billy goat

no, i am not actually any kind of goat but for some reason i felt like writing that. got a few more questions in today from the secret pal people. here are the answers in case me secret pal is watching:

What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? i am a big fan of wool and wool blends. blends are good because i think i may be a wee bit allergic to wool, hence the itch factor. i know i should love cotton because i live in southern california, but throw some wool my way. bamboo and other interesting fibers also fascinate me. colinette point five, brown sheep worsted, koigu, and rowan are some favorites.

What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? i like to have something small like hats and mittens on the needles along with something larger like a sweater. as my roommate told me, i have knitting add so i have usually 4-5 things on the needles at any given time.

What do you think about ponchos? (this is really a curiousity question for us) i think they can be super cute on certain people. i could never pull it off but i would like to make one for a friend, if they would wear it. the retro poncho from blue sky alpacas looks lovely and cozy.

Do you prefer straight or circular needles? depends. circs are nice because you will never drop a stick but i do like straights. bamboo are my faves but i use addis for snaggy yarns. right now my dpn's and circs are getting out of control. i have thrown them all into a bag and have to dump it out to find anything. i am looking for a nice vase or pretty case to put all my straight needles in.

How did you learn to knit? i was actually trying to learn to crochet but just couldn't get it down very well. one day my friend who crochets decided to knit something instead and i made him teach me. surprisingly i found it a lot easier than crochet and my mom taught me how to purl.

How old is your oldest UFO? probably about 4 months?
i started a bikini for a friend but the damn intarsia keeps messing with me.

in other news, a & i have secured and apartment in glendale. yes it is in glendale. we had to decide between this one and an absolutely charming place only two blocks away. i'll miss you corner house. but the new place (aka gigantor, named for its size) will be great. the kitchen has fantastic german style cabinets and a vintage stove. we might even get a breakfast nook. pics to come once i get my camera fixed.

i also finished one of my mom's green mittens. it's a tad short in the finger area but i'll just block it bigger. i just want to get the damn things done at this point. going in for my car estimate today. i'll let you know how it goes!

monday blahs

why is it so hard to get up on monday mornings? the weekend was a nice time, though. on friday night, a group of friends and i went to see alien vs predator. can you believe that it was sold out? my friend kevin and i love scary movies and since this was the closest thing to one, we wanted to go. it looked pretty cheesy so we didn't have high expectations. good thing we weren't disappointed. the plot just didn't make much sense and the frustrating thing was that they could have easily written something better and still had some great action. at one point they did a slo-mo freeze frame matrix shot on two facehuggers as the leapt out from behind something. what? i almost started laughing. the best part of the facehuggers was that they were so fast that you didn't know what was happening. but i like lance henrikson and the action sequences were pretty cool. i also saw the village last night. not super scary but spooky. i kind of guessed the ending but i enjoyed it. gotta love joaquin phoenix and bryce dallas howard was quite good.

all saturday was spent apartment hunting and i'll spare you from the details. we are still homeless at the moment but have two prospects. i'll let you know. sat night was spent at the cat and fiddle for my roommate's moving away party. she drives out to boston for grad school this weekend. :( when did the cat and fiddle start charging cover? we thought it was ridiculous to charge $5 for the priviledge of standing outdoors. hollywood.

not much on the knitting front this weekend. i worked on my dog's sweater last night while watching the governator in predator. no comment. and my digital camera is broken. the lens is stuck out right now and won't go back in. sigh. yet another thing i have to fix. yarn hugs.

i heart debbie bliss

can i just say that i am in love with these two designs from debbie bliss' new alpaca silk collection? they look so soft and luscious. i haven't ordered the pattern book yet, but with all the love at knit happens and in blogland, i don't know how long i can hold out. the one on the right looks like the perfect cardigan to wear snuggling up on the couch or in a chilly movie theater. i especially love the dark purple and the lime-y green colorways. gorgeous.

stash-y goodness

to distract you from my own knitting content (damn gloves are frogged again and will become mittens), i am putting up photos from two knitting magazines that i got in a swap with alison. the japanese books are so good for inspiration and is swear i'll learn to read the charts someday soon. i don't wear vests usually but i think that red one is cute. i think bloom in rowan 36 looks very similar. i also got a copy of the new vogue knitting last night. i flipped through it and it's not bad. nothing is screaming to be knit but i love just looking at new yarns and seeing what's out there.

american elf

check out some of the top notch graphic novels and comics over at top shelf comics. i buy something from their booth at comic-con every year (it's so hard to choose!), and this year's loot was an anthology by james kochalka. you'll probably recognize some of his stuff. he even signed it and drew a pretty picture for me. you can't beat that. and top shelf publisher chris staros was just named the new president of the comic book legal defense fund, an important organization that protects our first amendment rights. if you're a fan of comics of just the first amendment, get off your toosh and support by becoming a member.

i love dick

i can just imagine the searches that this title will show up on, but it's not dirty, i swear! last night i watched dick, starring kirsten dunst and michelle williams. i've seen it before but ages ago and it is still as funny as i remember it. too bad it didn't do very well back then. it's quite clever and very funny. will ferrell even plays bob woodward. and the costume design is excellent. gotta love that 70s flavor.

have appointments to see two apartments tonight. one is super cute from the outside and has a really nice, shady courtyard. however, we have to be put on a waitlist for only 1 parking spot and the woman said it was more condusive to a couple rather than roommates. the other one is in toluca lake and apparently the building manager lives in it now and it moving to a one bedroom in the building. wish us luck.

on the knitting front: still working on my mom's green glove. i have some apprehension about the thumb gusset as i think it might turn out too wide if i follow the pattern. my mom and i have pretty small hands. her hat is blocked and should be dry by now. maybe pics tomorrow. see you then!

20 questions (almost)

ok i got this questionnaire and although i emailed it back to my secret pal, i am going to reprint it here and try to answer the questions a little better. i am sure that i will love whatever my secret pal sends me. i love getting real letters and such in the mail. i am also addicted to postcards because i think that they are the perfect size for a brief yet substantial note. plus they usually have really cool designs. here it goes:


1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer high-end/natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you? i don't really like 100% acrylic because it tends to be scratchy, but i like blends. as long as it is soft and nice against the skin, i won't complain. although i do harbor yarn lust for all things rowan, colinette, and phildar.

2. Do you spin? Crochet? i crochet a little but i actually suck at it. i really should practice it more. and i'd like to learn how to spin. maybe i can get myself a small drop spindle and try it out.

3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.) allergic to dust, animals, and pollen but i love animals so i play with them anyway. i'll post a picture of my dog (at home with the parents) someday soon.

4. How long have you been knitting? only since january 2004 and addicted

5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? alright i will give the link to this. i know it's super huge but i use it as a sort of reminder of things i'd like to read or get eventually and now it's just out of hand. you can view it here.

6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.) apple, orange, and jasmine. i can't deal with really strong smells as they make me ill.

7. Do you have a sweet tooth? uh...yes...my roommate is always yelling at me because i keep bringing home candy. chocolate (milk), haribo gummies, red vines, cake....

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? not many other crafty things. i used to make jewelry and i'd like to get a sewing machine. i have a silkscreen but no space to use it at the moment.

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if you want to make her a CD) alternative/pop/rock i try not to listen to the radio because they all play the same thing. the new indie station in la (103.1) is pretty good. and yes i can play mp3 on the computer.

10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? i really like all colors. bright, dark, solids and stripes. lately i have been into all shades of green and pink (bright). also love orange and brown and various odd shades of purple.

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? going to be moving in with my friend soon. no pets at my house, except when i pet my yarn.

12. What are your life dreams? to be creative everyday and happiness for my friends and family.

i hope this helps you secret pal, wherever you are...

car boo boo

car boo boo
Originally uploaded by squishyme.

well on the way home from work yesterday, i was rear ended on the freeway. basically my lane stopped and the girl behind me slammed on her breaks but didn't make it. and i could see her in my rearview and though "oh crap". it was a pretty big jolt and all the change from my little holder popped out everywhere and it was yucky. we pulled over and the damage was way less than i thought it would be for such a hard impact. gotta love those sturdy toyota bodies. and get this, an mta guy stops over to talk to us and see if we need highway patrol. we said we were cool and he gives us a survey rating his service. now that was odd. i just don't want to deal with this right now what with apartment hunting and all. sigh.

however, i did manage to finish my mom's green cap to go with her multi-directional scarf. i'll probably have more details later this week. it is blocking on the living room floor at the moment.

balls

so this is the alpaca scarf i made for my friend koren (i just gave it to her this weekend) and it's basically ribbed except that one rib is stockingnet and the other are just garter stitch. it's hard to explain but once you see it, you'll get it. i must say that alpaca is very fun to knit with and i want to make myself something with it someday.

pattern: made it up
yarn: america's alpaca in creme color
needle: us 6 (i think)

anyone know how to get the pictures to line up next to each other?

i also saw garden state on friday. it was very funny and original and poignant and totally inspiring. zach braff did an amazing job on his first film and it makes me want to go out and create something. living in la and working in entertainment, i often get disillusioned with the amount of crap that hollywood can churn out. but when i see something good, it makes me believe in it again because people are taking risks and try to do something different. natalie portman was fantastic and her character is so unique. i think the movie is opening in more cities this week or already did. so go out and see it if you haven't. the soundtrack is great, too. it comes out tomorrow in stores. i heart zach braff.

happy 25th birthday korn dog!

happy birthday to you...happy birthday to you...happy birthday dear koooornnnnn dooooggggg...happy birthday to yoooooouuuuu....

singing happy birthday to my good friend koren, who is finally turning 2-5. she is moving to berkeley soon and is leaving me. :( however, big party plans for one last bash tomorrow. what goodies shall i bring?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KOREN!

hot hot hot

yesterday during lunch i made a trek out to encino to the knot garden. they just moved to a new location and i was going there to look for a copy of rebecca 27 for a swap with lyn. let me just say that going in and out of the valley at around 330pm on a weekday is not so fun. i hit so much traffic coming back. the store itself was not too large and located on the back wall of the center. it's not on the directory yet so you just have to look around. it was warm inside (why do yarn stores shun a/c?) and there were about 5 people sitting around a table knitting. two younger girls seemed to be taking lessons. bags of yarn blocked parts of aisles, which made it hard to navigate at times. then there was a minor snafu because no one knew where they kept the english inserts for the rebecca magazine. they called someone though and were able to find it. also gave me a card that, after it's filled up, will give me $25 FREE! i also signed the birthday book, whereby you get some sort of "present" on your birthday. i'll let you know in march what it is. got one skein of red cascade 220 for a felted hat and a little gift for lyn. their location if you wanna go:
Knot Garden
Encino Town Center 17200 Ventura Blvd. #211
Encino, CA 91316
Phone: (818) 986-6642
Fax: (818) 986-6809

hi peggy! my roomie is going to visit my blog. happy last day at work!

taiwan rocks!

my knit book sent by alison. too cute.
Originally uploaded by squishyme.

happy friday! i just got in two new knitting books from brainylady alison. yay for swapping! thanks, alison. what a nice surprise to get at work. hopefully your package is safe in canada by now just waiting for you to come home and open it.

if all goes well, a picture will appear of one of the books. i couldn't find the other one online. once i get this all figured out i will be able to scan images and upload them. i confess that i don't enjoy reading blogs without pictures. every entry doesn't need one but some have so few that it makes it dull for me. what can i say? i'm a visual girl. until i get that up and running, i'll just have to entertain you with my witty banter.

just do it!

ok so work is really boring right now so i thought i would throw in a bonus post. i just wanted to say that yarn swaps are the best. well, knit swaps at least. the lovely lyn has put up a swap page and i managed to snag a copy of girly knits and let's knit! ooh those japanese books make me drool. i am sending her a copy of rebecca 27 in exchange. nice stuff in that one, too. and i really want to get my hands on the new rowan books 36, big just got bigger, vintage style, and ribbon twist. i wish i could show you pictures, but i am sure you've seen them all by now.

looking at another apartment tonight at 730pm. wish me luck...

one fo!

so i finshed the alpaca scarf last night. it is blocking on my floor as i write this. i wish i could show you a picture, but i haven't figured that out yet. not sure about this template. what do you think? this is what i get for being too lazy to make my own. also started a knit hat for my mom. it's going to have 2 x 2 ribbing at the bottom. i am going to make it long so she can roll it up or down to keep her ears warm. she likes that.

in other news: my friend and i are currently looking for an apartment in the los angeles area. we both currently live in los feliz/silver lake and hope to move in the same area or even over the hill into burbank or north hollywood. apartment hunting in la is a pain in the ass, though. last night we got to see an apartment over on frankin/western and it was nice. the carpet/paint/kitchen was new. one room was substantially larger than the other with a walk-in closet. cons: fridge not included, only a wall box a/c unit, smelly elevator. pros: 2 tandem parking spots, clean, close to where we live now. but it's only the first place we have seen. oh and on the application, he asks for our credit and savings account numbers. is this normal? smells a little fishy to me.

first date

this is my first attempt at blogging. aside from the huge blogger banner that i can't seem to move to the bottom of the page, everything looks alright. i hope to use this blog as a record of my exploits and adventures. there will be lots of knitting content and other random things. wish me luck!

current wips:

heart bikini from stitch n bitch using the recommended classic elite star

mulit-directional scarf, hat, gloves set for my mom in cascade sierra quatro color 9435, a 4 ply of green/grey/blue. was making the garter stitch cuff gloves from weekend knitting but ripped it because i didn't like the pattern. no thumb gusset made it hard to wear.

america's alpaca ribbed scarf in creme for a frend's birthday

basic dog sweater from patons it's a dog's life for my puppy in patons canadiana dark green

those are the main projects i am working on right now. the bikini has been stalled because i suck at intarsia. i have the cups but they're not finished and the bottom i have ripped about 5 times.