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.