SIDEWALK SALE!!!

Ok! I know I haven't blogged in a thousand years, Shush, I know I know.

I just need to let all you knitters know that the lovely shop Lace Wings (which employs yours truly) is having a fantastic Sidewalk Sale this Saturday!

Time: 9am - 5pm!

Place: The Warwick Store (located on Rte. 2)

The Yarns: We will have a variety of quality yarns on sale, including (but not limited to) Tahki and ROWAN at up to 50% off!

Tell everyone you know, and come see us on Saturday!

I Should Really Be Working Right Now

But instead, I am lurking in the blogosphere. Lurk, lurk.

I was just thinking to myself that I needed some more cards - our "shit, it's so-and-so's B-day today" card stash is quite low these days. Plus, I'm starting to think about invitations and save-the-date cards, etc. So of course I pulled up the Cardjackers site, and lo behold, they linked to a post of mine from last August! Of course, it's not like improved flow to the site or anything, but I thought it was pretty nifty.

My friend Kendra alerted me to a website, www.notmartha.org, which she describes thusly - "Not Martha is a fantastic diy blog by someone in Seattle who, like many of us, has freudain love/hate, envy/ridicule, imitate/abbreviate daughter-troubles with Mama-Martha."

Scroll down a bit and you will see this photo -



Click on the field of sheep link, and check out the GIANT ASS NEEDLES that were used to make this rug. I can't even imagine how long it must have taken, but it looks fantastic.

Of Sweaters and Seders

As promised, here's the Allen sweater update -



Surprise! There is a cat in the way! This time it is Aku, who checks every available surface for it's possible bedding potential.

Here's a slightly better picture:



It still looks like I'm making him a dress, but I swear I'm not.

I didn't have very much time to work on the sweater last night, as a matter of fact, I think I only accomplished 2 rows on my way over to Allen's mum's house for the Passover Seder. Passover is the 8 day observance commemorating the freedom and exodus of the Israelites (Jewish slaves) from Egypt during the reign of the Pharaoh Ramses II, and a Seder is an impossibly long meal consisting of a combination of very bland and very sharp tasting foods, 4 glasses of wine, and a guest of honor that never shows up.

All of this, of course, I had to commemorate on film. This is my third Passover dinner with the Cowetts, and it's so far always been the same.

First, we all sit down around the table, upon which is the Seder plate...



and upon which you will find the traditional bitter herbs (horseradish), hard-boiled egg (for birth and renewal) cardboard shankbone (hey, actual shankbones are huge!) greens, and haroset.

Here's the Seder plate Allen, age 8, made -



hee hee.

Smile, folks! It's almost time to eat! Here's Allen and Katherine.



And here's Beth and her fee-ahn-sea Milo.



They're going to elope! They are smarter than Allen and I!

Allen and Beth take turns leading us in readings and songs -



I could do without the songs, myself, as I a.) don't know them and b.) am not convinced that Allen and Beth have a firm handle on them either.

We realized that Oops! We forgot to light the candles -





The guest who never shows up is Elijah, but just in case, we pour him a glass of wine in a special cup -



and we open the door for him in case he's coming by.

We pass around the matzos, which are mostly tasteless but good with horseradish...



and also tasty with haroset, a traditional element of the Seder plate that is a combination of apples, walnuts, honey, wine, and spices.



One tradition I like to steer clear from is the Fear Factor-ish Gefilte fish, pictured whole and in a cross-section below.



For some reason, blogger won't let me download the photo of the jar, but this is exactly what it looked like.



In case you can't see it, it does say "In Jelled Broth" on the label.

And, yes, that is exactly as gross as you think it is.

Tonight I am making matzo ball soup, which will hopefully be good. I made chicken stock overnight on Monday - Allen and I had to get up early on Tuesday to put it away. I made chicken salad for Allen to eat during the week at work - and other than that, I am pretty much out of bright ideas.

I Have Become Road Enraged

Ok, so I have another post that I was going to be working on, but instead, I just need to take a moment to flip out.

Every day, I leave my office at about 4:15 to drive to the Harborside Campus (motto: you can't SEE the Harbor, but you can sure SMELL the Harbor!) and every day I deal with some bullshit traffic issue. I understand that there are always going to be idiots, but today people just strove to outshine themselves.

There is a four-way stop I go through every day. Today, for some reason, instead of taking turns getting through, people going west to east were blocking the intersection as much as possible, which is ASSININE. This sort of behavior makes no sense, but occurs from time to time. Fine. But what happened today was just crazy. I was five cars away from the stop sign, and the driver of the car behind me (a flower delivery car, no less) just decided that he didn't need to wait - and just drove past all five of us, only to get stuck in the middle of the intersection.

None of us even beeped at the guy, I think we were all too stunned. I just decided to ignore it as I could feel my blood pressure rocketing skyward. I simply called the Culinary front desk and said that I would be late because EVERYONE WAS SO FUCKING STUPID that I could CHOKE.

Of course, I still had to get through the NEXT stop sign, which involves cutting across two lanes of traffic. I thought this little guy in a hyundai was going to let me in, he left a lot of space between himself and the next car and I was trapped halfway across one lane - but when I mouthed "thank you" and waved at him, he moved up until he was touching the bumper of the guy in front of him.

I hope you got where ever you were going .3 seconds before I did, ASSHOLE!

I had TWO people randomly pull out in front of me after that, so the rest of the ride was relatively uneventful. I DO NOT understand why some people think they are so goddamn important that they can just make up traffic laws!!!! AAARRGHGHHHGH.

I got into work and promptly ate a candy bar, so now I hate everyone INCLUDING myself, yee-fuckin'-haw.

I Am Gainfully Employed!

That's as good an excuse as any for being a SLACKAH about my blogging! I know I suck but I have been busy being tired.

Guess what? I got a job! I mean, I already had a job, now I've got 2! I started this past Saturday working at Lacewings, a lovely little yarn shop (there's 2, actually, one in Warwick and one in Pawtucket) and I'm very happy. I will get to KNIT at WORK. It's a like a dream come true! Now, if I could only do it full time!

And guess what else? I can take classes for FREE! I'm going to start with the crochet classes. Even though I am not in love with corchet, I feel like it's something I should learn, if only because so many finishing techniques incorporate crochet.

If I am a little all over the place, I'm sorry, I think I am working up a doozy of a migraine. I feel like the top of my head is trying to come off, and it's literally making me clumsy and disoriented. Argh.

Sorry about the lack of knitting pictures as of late. I've been working on the Berkshire Pullover for Allen, and am only starting to post pictures 2 and half weeks into the project. He's some pictures after week 1, and then tomorrow I will post week 3 pictures, so it will look like I made tons of progress overnight and am totally teh awesome.

Boo was making it difficult to take pictures.



And she seemed to think I was taking pictures of her, and I didn't want to hurt her feelings.



And finally, the actual sweater:



It's 50 inches around on a 40-inch needle, which gives it a rather more of an "Allen's Mini-skirt" feel than an "Allen's Sweater" feel, but hey, what can I say. I do the best I can with what I have.

I am a little concerned that the rather aggressive roll of this rolled bottom sweater will be a wee bit too - umm, feminine - for Allen. I hope that through some equally aggressive blocking I will be able to minimize it's rolling.

I hope. Otherwise, it will end up being MY sweater, which is not what I intended. Damn it.

On the plus side - I have several new books winging my way, I'm very excited! More about those later, must go help some students!

ACK! Where Does The Time GO?!

I can't believe it's been almost a month since I blogged! I'm terrible. In my defense, I have been absorbed with wedding plans, ridiculous work schedules, and trying to find a part-time job.

Speaking of which, I actually have an interview tomorrow! Once it's over, I'll give out more details and let you all know how it went!

Other than that, I have picked out and ordered my wedding dress, which is very exciting. Those of you who haven't already been forced to look at it ONE MILLION times can see a representation of it here.

One the knitting front, things have been slow as of late because I have been taking a big break because I think I gave myself a touch of tendonitis during the Olympics. Last night I couldn't stand it anymore, though, and I swatched, (I know, I can't believe it either)cast on, and knitted the first few rows of Allen's new sweater. It's going to be a slight variation of the Bershire Sweater from Weekend Knitting. I had fun winding 12 balls of the Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride in Aubergine, though not as much as the cats apparently had. I know it's a little late in the season to start a wool sweater, but we usually have a pretty cool spring, and I really, really wanted to tackle an adult sweater.

I'll post more stuff about the wedding later, until then, here's my current favorite picture:



I know - that is the tackiest, most horrendous scarf you've ever seen. But Mackenzie thinks she is SO COOL when she wears it!

OOO! Shiny!

Pretty, isn't it? I'm so pleased with myself I almost can't even stand it.

And I've decided - this whole being afraid of certain techniques is for the birds. First, I was afraid of dpns - then circular needles, which are now my favorite things. Then, I was mortally afraid of seaming, finishing, and blocking, because - what if I did it wrong? I learned duplicate stitches so I wouldn't have to learn intarsia. And I studiously avoided any mention of aran knitting in any patterns I came across.

What a wuss. What a total wimp.

Since when have I been afraid to learn something new? To totally immerse myself in something? I'm not sure where this half-assed attitude came from, but from now on, if I like a pattern, and budget allows, and I'm going to try it. The worst that can happen is that it takes me a long time to figure it out, or that I end up with an ugly sweater. Who cares? The one I make after that will only be the better for it.

So, for my next project - a cabled sweater for my dad, probably with a big saxon braid down the middle.




Like that.

That is, of course, after I finish Sharon's scarf, and Allen's scarf and slippers - and some other things I have forgotten about I am sure! But then! On to Aran greatness!



Woo and also, Hoo.

The Medal Round

Woo-HOOOO!

So, crabby post of a couple of days ago notwithstanding, I DID manage to finish my project for the Knitting Olympics, and I delivered it to the new owner's mom yesterday.

Whew.

I hope to never see another pinafore as long as I live!

Here's a pic of the finished product, seconds after completion:



And here is a picture of Anouk next to a clock to illustrate how late it was when I was done - though this makes no sense because you can't tell if it's a.m. or p.m. - but trust me, it's a.m.!



You can tell it's a.m. because I'm not usually drunk (with drink and tiredness) enough by 3:04 pm to take such a picture, or the one that immediately followed -



It's hard to take a picture of yourself and other folks at the same time.

Another blurry photo - I think Matt wants a Matt-sized pinafore.



After throwing this thing together in two weeks, I kind of feel like I can knit anything. I think I finally am beginning to understand intarsia - that is, I am finally understanding what I did and didn't do right. And I picked up stitches and made a lovely neckline, even if I do say so myself. And I even BLOCKED the damn thing, something I usually never do, but can just begin to see the point of now.

Also, the baby blanket was a big hit!



Here's the back, after I weaved in all those nasty little ends -



And here it is chilling out on Anne's lap.



And also, laying on the table.



I know, a ton of pictures, but I'm very proud of how both projects came out.

I think for my next knitting project.....well, first I have a bunch of u.f.o.s (unfinished objects) to take care of, but then I want to try a cable-knit sweater for my dad.

That is, after I give my arms a rest. I think I have tennis elbow!

Knitting Olympics Update: Day ??? it's OVER

Who cares what day it is, I am DONE!!!!!!!!!!!! Not only did I finish the "Oh my god, HOW many ends are there to weave in??" baby blanket, I completely BLOCKED and finished detailing Anouk. At 3:04 am - I even took a picture to prove it, which I will post later tonight after I take a nap. I am too tired to make the pictures not look like I took them while I was drunk.

Note to self - do NOT drink 2 rum and rootbeers (try it) while trying to sew on buttons and pockets. Also, do not decide to stay up until 3:45 in the morning when you have to be at a baby shower at noon the next day and you have yet to buy wrapping paper. And don't show up in jeans to a shower where everyone else is apparently aware that there is a posted DRESS CODE at the venue for said baby shower.

At least mom to be liked the blanket - A picture of that later on, too.

Knitting Olympics Update: Day Eleven

Actually, this is sort of an update on lack of progress, as I spent all day Saturday attempting to make wedding plans (more about that later) and Sunday I was working on another project.

This one, in fact, shown here in preproduction:



It certainly looked daunting, all laid out on the table like that.

Not that the cats were fazed much.

Here's Loki tentatively perching on the blanket bits...



...and here he is completely ignoring me.



Let's not forget the others - Nin was very curious, but wishing to not be banished to the porch with the rest of her brothers and sister, she decided to behave.



Though it was clearly very, very hard.



I plugged and chugged at the blanket all day, and by evening I had a nice item that will require WAY too much weaving for comfort.



I'm not entirely happy with the edges, in that they don't line up the way I would like. See?



I took the project to Yarns At Lace Wings last night, and spoke to the "experts". They were all very sweet and complimentary, and suggested I simply pin the blanket out and spray it, rather than give it a full on soaking, which I think is a good idea. Other options would be to put on a border, but I don't think I have the time to fix it if it came out crappy, plus, I kind of like the quilted look it has now.

I will have to post an actual Olympic Update later from home, I am past the bodice decreases on the second side, and I should be able to finish it tonight - then it's JUST the neckline, pockets, and blocking remaining!

Thank goodness I have help!

Knitting Olympics, Day Seven Update

While I ran around this morning, desperately trying (but failing) to get ready before our ride to work arrived this morning, Allen took this picture of my Olympic progress for me:



It's not that impressive, but I think being a little more than half-way done, with a little more than half the time left, is not too terribly bad.

I didn't actually do much knitting last night, as I was very distracted. When I got home, I found a box on the table from Amazon.com!!! My first reaction was "Oh, crap! What did I buy? I don't even remember buying anything!" But then I opened the box discovered that my friend Tammy had bought me some knitting books! Huzzah! I was so excited, I called her right away to alternately yell at her for spending money on me, and to thank her profusely.

So, I FINALLY own Loop-d-Loop, and I want to make EVERYTHING in it. And I also got the extremely excellent Ann Budd book, The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns, which is GREAT because it eliminates the need for the dreaded PATTERN MATH.

SO EXCITED.

So, you can see why I didn't get very far, Olympically speaking. But at least Aku looks like he likes it - he seems to be licking his lips and staring at the yarn, anyway.

Knitting Olympics: Day Five Update

Oh boy. You knew it had to happen. Hell, I knew it was going to happen, I just didn't think it was going to happen this quickly.

This picture I posted two days ago? You remember? It looks so nice?



Yeah, well, it actually sucks. I did the decreases all wrong, choosing to interpret the pattern in my own personal way, as opposed to the way it was actually designed. Thankfully, Liz walked me through the changes I would need to make, and I was able to rip out about 25 rows. So I went from this (close up of BAD decreases)



To this instead:



Which actually, I think, looks pretty nice.

This is as far as I got by the end of the night, in between watching Curling and making Allen chocolate chip cookies for Valentine's Day:



Not too bad, considering when I was finished frogging, it looked like this:



All this, of course, and I never bother to mention that the first time I cast this project on, I cast on with the blue and knit four rows before I realized it. Sigh.

Meanwhile, Allen apparently has some elaborate plan for Valentine's Day, but he needs rubber cement???? I don't know. Anyway. I will update you all later.

Knitting Olympics, Day 3 Update

 


This is how much I have gotten done so far. I was not able to pick up my needles at all on Friday, and Saturday there was still decent amount of running to meet people at the airport and talking on the phone with various parents. Also, it was a slow start because I HATE seed stitch. I have to admit, it does look lovely though. And I can see the shaping already, and I'm happy with how it is coming along. Only another 9 1/2 inches and I can do the straps! Wheee!

Thankfully, Beth is feeling better, though the doctors still don't know what is wrong. We're on our way to Allen's mum's (in a blizzard!!!!) but I just wanted to through a picture up, so I would feel a little better about my progress.

Ta! 

And We're Off!

I finally made it onto the list of Olympic Knitters! Huzzah! There are over 3900, which means that there are more Knitters than actual Olypic Athletes.

Unfortunately, I can't start knitting yet, as I am at work. And it looks like I won't be able to start at all tonight - at least not until very, very late! It's like everything that can possibly go wrong has, and then some things I hadn't even thought of, too!

Allen's sister Beth is very sick, and no one (including big, important scary doctors) seem to know what's going on. She's being admitted to the hospital today INDEFINITELY, which is very freaky.

Allen's OTHER sister, Alison, her hubby, and baby are coming to see Beth. They just lost their dog, Chobe, a Rhodesian Ridgeback. He went into kidney failure and died very suddenly.

Allen's Dad, Dr. Cowett, is on a plane right now, also to come see Beth. Dr. Cowett will be staying with Allen and I, and supposedly flying out tomorrow night, which is of course going to prove to be impossible because there is a HUGE ASS winter storm on the way. So now we have to rush home, clean the house in five nanoseconds, run to the grocery store, drive to Boston, visit with Beth, and then come home and hang out with Dr. Cowett. (!!!!!) Usually, my Friday night consists of taking a 2-3 hour nap and then watching trashy television. But not this week!

EDIT:

Wow, I guess I had no idea how much was going on. Allen just heard that his old roommate from after college was killed in a bicycling accident in September.

Which makes the fact that I just found out I've been walking around with a hole in the ass of my jeans a lot less of a big deal.

Only 2 Days Left!

Two days until the official start of the Knitting Olympics! I am not as excited as I would like, however, because I STILL haven't pieced that baby blanket (all 56 squares of it) NOR have I finished my coworker's scarf. It looks beautiful so far, but I've been trying to give my left hand a little break.

In a truly inspired bout of self-destruction, I ended up pouring a large quantity of BOILING WATER over my hand. Needless to say, knitting was out for the next couple of days, as my hand was too sore. Now the burn has reached that lovely cracked, peeling, itchy stage, which is SO attractive and I can't stop wishing I could PICK at it all day. I have so far resisted (mostly) because I don't want a great big scar. I don't think there's much getting around it, though.

I never used to mind scars, but ever since my emergency appendix operation, which left me with a GREAT BIG abdominal scar, I have been pretty anti-scaring. Scar tissue is creepy. It's a part of you, but it doesn't FEEL like it.

Anyway......sorry about the gross-out factor. Just wanted to let you all know that I am feeling terribly unprepared (SHOCK to you all, I am sure) because now I am not only committed to finishing Anouk in 16 days (which isn't too bad) I will also have to finish the baby blanket, which is a gift for a baby shower on the 26th, the last day of the Olympics!

I will need everyone's support. And cookies. I will need all of your cookies.

One Trick Pony

That would be me. Because all I have to share right now is another knitting update!

I finished the pink hat for my co-worker's daughter this weekend. I actually started knitting it in the car right after purchasing it. Allen says at one point I was alternately knitting and dozing, and that I was definitely knitting with my eyes closed at one point.

This is actually the second hat, as the first, modified for a child's head, was too small.



I am almost done with the tiny squares that are to be made into a baby blanket. I only have one ball left to knit up!



I'm trying to keep the cat hair to a minimum in this project, so it's been stuffed into a paper bag which follows me around.

Allen says that this is actually a more accurate picture of the blanket in progress -



but that's kind of psycho so don't look at it.

That is the update for now - I really should get some work done this morning. And I should try not to play Kingdom of Loathing all day.

But I really, really wanna.