Thursday, October 26, 2006

An unveiling


A sweater for the Bean!!! This has been waiting to make its blog appearance until after Ashley got to see it in person, and now that she has seen it, you can see it!

Since this photo was taken, a cotton tape bow closure has been added to the opening at the back of the neck. It looks so incredibly cute!! Now, I know that this sweater is blueish, but the Bean's color preference is still a mystery, so we are calling this color "silver." If the bean is a girl, we will tape a bow to her forehead. Problem solved. 'Cause when you have the softest silver yarn and a great pattern, and everything comes together in one thrilling moment of "Mommy-to-be, look what I made!", you simply have to go with it, gender or not. I have promised that if, in fact, the Bean does turn out to be of the pink pursuasion, there will be many many pink things to come, but for now: Silver.

Of course, dummy me, I neglected to take a photo of the Mommy-to-be holding the wee sweater up to her still nonexistant baby bump last night when she opened it... but I will prevail upon her to do so tonight, if I can remember amidst all of the packing...

... Oh yeah, packing. I should probably start that soon. I'm pretty sure that I will not want to do it at 4am tomorrow when I get up to get to the airport on time.

And then there's the matter of dinner out with the girls tonight. Well, I'll just pack after that.

Right.

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Get me a ticket for an aero-plane...



In just a few hours, my prodigal friend Ashley will be here from Australia where she has been happily married for over a year and recently baking a bun and all-the-while missing ME desperately! (I added that last part myself)

I can't wait to see her. The depth of my love extends all the way to clean sheets on her bed!! If that ain't true friendship, I don't know what is...

And what a lucky girl she is, too, because for the next two nights she gets to watch me pack for NY. Ships in the night, I tell ya.

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Airplane knitting, NY wearing

First, the hat. The hat that I love beyond reason. It makes my head look like a raspberry, and I like it!



And then last night, rather than start a sock, I cast on for a comissioned project from a while back. A baby sweater for the new baby Quinlan. He is now 4 months old, so I am making the 6-12 month size Child's Placketneck Pullover from "Last Minute Knitted Gifts." I changed the seed stitch at the edge to 1x1 ribbing. My mom chose the colors and the yarn, so it is up to me to just go-go-go stockingnet stitch til my fingers bleed... but then again, what else am I going to do on the plane ride to NY?



Of course, it looks very small, but it's 112 stitches around. It takes a while, but it is mindless, which is nice. Perhaps there will be a movie worth watching on the plane... Does JetBlue have movies? I did call the airline to make sure knitting needles were allowed, and I got the go-ahead. Should I bring my own earphones so I don't have to pay $5?

Monday, October 23, 2006

Weekend of wonders...

Well, weekend of "wonder where the weekend went". I knit A LOT this weekend. I should have taken a photo of the bum-print in my sofa! I started and finished the first of Senor's Christmas socks (no I will not be posting a photo until after Christmas). It was knit with DK alpaca, which made a nice break from the teeny-weeny Lorna's Shepherd Sock.

For those of you who are counting, yes, I now have two orphan socks. Must CO my second ones before I lose interest.

I also knit up a bumpy lumpy hat made of "Point 5" handspun/handpainted yarn in the Frangipani (see poor quality photo below). I forgot to take a photo of it, so I'll do that tomorrow. I'm hoping to wear it in NY this weekend for my friend's wedding (I won't wear it to the wedding, though). It will be refreshing to be somewhere cool enough to warrant wearing a bumpy lumpy hat! It may never be truly winter in El Segundo, CA. I keep waiting... but every day I wake up in late October winter chilliness, and then spend the day magically in July swelter. What is going on?! I'm going to pit out all of my cute winter things... but I refuse to bend! No tank tops in public in October!!!



I am really looking forward to some airplane time for knitting... what shall I work on? Sock number two of mom's socks? Or something new entirely? Don't tempt me.

Thursday, October 19, 2006

Halfway there!

Though I may never be able to hold knitting needles again, as my left hand has turned to stone!


Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Slowly slowly...

I thought making these Jaywalkers for my mom instead of myself would bring a sense of relief as well as a more swift bind-off. After all, a size 8 is MUCH smaller than a size 9.5, right? Well, I'm sorry to say, Mom, that a size 8 is still a big big foot!! I measured hopefully last night only to find that I am only at 6 3/4 inches and have another ENTIRE inch of teeny tiny rows to go before decreasing... Awwwww. Back to the sofa, Senora! Next time, bigger yarn! Lorna's Shepherd Sock is too fine.

In the meantime, I have set my sights on Christmas knitting. Well, that's just silly! I already made hats for all of the Fuertes, except for La Profesor Fuerte, soon to be added to my family-in-law. I don't picture myself having time to knit a whole line of socks for them this year... nor do I expect them all to tolerate homemade gifts forever, though they've been very gracious so far. Senor Fuerte asked for a pair of Socks of Doom, and as my still-new husband, I suppose I should set my sights on keeping him happy... at least for another 6 months or so. I purchased some beautiful teal yarn yesterday for Senor, and I can't wait to cast on. *whining* Do I have to wait until I finish the jaywalkers?

My brother just got a hat for his birthday, so he should really get something storebought and shiny.

Seriously. I think I've blown all of my Christmas knitting opportunities. Am I free? Or am I bummed? You be the judge.

Monday, October 16, 2006

Knitting Progress



Here is my Jaywalker. It's working! It's working! I love the way it's working!! But it's a bit tight on me. I may give them to my mom; her feet are about a size and a half smaller than mine. I did decide to make them shorties, but that is because there really isn't much give or stretch and I was worried about them not going up my calf very far. The Lorna's Laces might be just a little too tight of a guage for me. Still, I love the way they are working!!

I also sent out my square for Grandma Purl's blanket. I am very excited to get this sent out, because I knit it a week or more ago, but because I opted for stripes, I dreaded weaving in the ends. I hate weaving in ends. I may never do stripes again! But I am pleased with how the square turned out.

Birthday Greetings!

Hello there from Birthday land! I didn't think I cared about this birthday, but I guess I kinda do after all. 28 is a good number, and while I've been telling people I am 28 for months now, it's kinda nice to finally be what I have said I am... how do you like that syntax?

And speaking of gibberish... Last night I had a very interesting conversation with my husband before bed. Well, I thought it was a conversation, but according to the digital video (yes, there is hard evidence), it was all very C.S. Lewis. Here is a bit of the transcript:

***********
Senor: Okay, now, explain to me who you are...

Senora: I'm one of the people that [unintelligible]...

Senor: What?

Senora: I'm one of the people that [unintelligible]...

Senor: But who am I?

Senora: You must have got microwaved.

Senor: How can you tell I got microwaved?

Senora: When they microwave somebody and hands are still there.

Senor: Alright, but what were you trying to ask me a minute ago?

Senora: Where you live?!

Senor: You know where I live.

Senora: Where?

Senor: I live in your apartment!

Senora: (exhasperatedly) In the cartoon...

Senor: I don't live in a cartoon, I live in this apartment with you and you're my wife. Do you understand?

Senora: Yes. Yes. I'm trying to ask you questions about a t.v. show that you watch and you're making in glow blue-- are you video taping me?!

*************
There you go. And that's just the first 1 minute and 12 seconds... there another whole minute of that craziness!! That's what you get when you mix wine and sleepiness and Aquateen Hungerforce. You get microwaved husbands with hands that are still there!

Happy unbirthday to you!

Thursday, October 12, 2006

R.I.S. Senora Fuerte

That stands for Rest in Socks.
Doom hath visited my doorstep.



Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Sock Progress...


Ta-daaaaa! Both socks... done!
Made with Cherry Tree Hill Supersock in "Java". They're not quite perfect, but I love them just the same.

So, since I finished a pair of socks, and it is Socktoberfest, there was no stopping what was about to happen next:




Voila! I am not one to be left behind. Thus: I Jaywalk.

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

My Contribution




This lovely apron is on its way to the Cafe Au Play auction as we speak. I am very proud, and I hope it earns them a lot of money... or at least a little money. Ew, wouldn't it be sad if it was the only apron that didn't get sold? Well, now I'm going to have nightmares...

That couldn't happen, could it?

Your Un-Official Socktoberfest Mascot





HE CRAZY!!

(And do not worry, that is not a handknit sock. Wombat has not yet developed a taste for handknits, and he never will, if I can help it. I would not trust a tiny dog to distiguish between HIS knit toy and MY knitting toys...)

Actual Time, Actual Photo

Okay, my official time for the 10K was 1:17:50. Even better than I thought!! We are planning to do the Superbowl 10K next. My goal will be to run it in under 1:10. I figure I can shave off a measley 7:50 in 3 months. No sweat... wait, lots of sweat!

And here we are before the race:



We do not have "after" photos... but maybe the city will send us "during" photos. I know they have official photographers who take lots of photos, and I know they try to distribute them, but whether they got any of us or not, we'll have to wait and see...

Saturday, October 07, 2006

6.2


Today I ran my first 10K. That's 6.2 miles, the farthest I have ever run before. I did it in somewhere around 1 hour 20 minutes... which was under my goal of an hour 30. I am very pleased! I am also, possibly more, pleased that I did it without walking. Not one step!! I cried at the end because I was so proud and overwhelmed (and exhausted), and there was Senor Fuerte at the finish line, having finished in 54 minutes, waiting for me and watching and beaming with pride. What a wonderful first experience!!

I may never be able to walk again based on the soreness that has already developed, but it was worth it. I can't wait for next year!!

Thursday, October 05, 2006


The Red Fishtail is finished!! It is blocked and drapey and wonderful! Too bad I don't get to keep it... I guess I'll have to make another for myself now. I'm not sure I can take it. I may need a break for a while.

I attempted to make the bound off end similar in shape to the cast on end. I was not terribly successful. Here is the cast on edge:

See how it is kind of pretty and swoopy? Well, here is my attempt to shape the other end to match it. I totally winged it:


ERROR!! ERROR!! ERROR!! ERROR!!

When this scarf comes back from seeing the fall colors with my mom, I may see about adding some kind of lace border at each end. I don't know how to do that, but I don't see why that should stop me. For now, there is no time. The Fishtail must fly.

I do love it, though. It is much lighter in weight than the first, and it was also less taxing on me, which made it more pleasureable. And that is always a good thing.

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Impending Doom


I've been contacted by my Grand-Assassin (that's the woman who killed my killer, Kalista), and since no one has heard from Kalista, the Grand-Assassin has set her eyes on me and will be working, one must assume, from scratch...

Meanwhile, I received my victim's weapon yesterday and am madly knitting away to get to my next victim before the Grand-Assassin gets me. Anyone out there aiming for Callensgrandma? Knit quickly!

In other news, my mom wants to take the red fishtail with her on a trip this weekend, and she leaves Thursday night... The dilemna is this: Sock Wars or Family Relations? Tough call.

Unrelated to knitting, the Focus is having heart trouble and the dryer is not getting hot anymore. Wombat is coming to stay this weekend, and Alisun is embarking on the knitted Christmas stocking this week under my supervisory eye (though, it's pretty easy, she won't need much help). Oops, that was knitting related again!

The 10 year reunion e-mail traffic is increasing. The count of marrieds is up:

Me
Katherine
Robbie
Yoshi
Brandon
Anthony
Grant
Shawn
TeLisa
Chaz
Eddie
Chris (I think)
Andrew

Wow, look at us go! I know of a few kids, too. We are so well adjusted! I know none of you know these people, but just to give you an idea, that's 13/60 people. Damn fine ratio, and those are just the ones I know of.

Okay, enough.

Monday, October 02, 2006

Socktoberfest!!



Yay, Socktoberfest!!! Last year I wasn't up for it, and the year before that I was still stressing over the intricacies of 1x1 ribbing... but now I'm ready!!

I have three specific goals for Socktoberfest:

1) Finish the second "java" sock from Cherry Tree Hill. Gotta have at least one pair I can wear. (My Socks of Doom have not arrived yet, which is good, but my feet are getting cold)

2) Use the Lorna's Laces I bought when I first decided to try socks. I wasn't crazy about the first pattern I chose, and it wasn't going to fit me anyway, so I ripped it back and haven't used it since. The pooling was a little funny, so I might try a lace pattern with it to distract from the stripes that were forming. Or maybe I'll make them for Senor Fuerte...

3) Use the Fly Dyed "Old Country" (pictured above) too! I'm determined not to buy anymore sock yarn until I use the stuff I've got... and I can't wait to shop! So this Socktoberfest is dedicated to getting out from under my guilt, warming up my feet, and preparing to SHOP!!

Stash- I'll get there!


Bambino Merino- I'd love to use this for the ribbon-tied vest from "Simple Knits for Cherished Babies"


I'm hoping to try out my first lace shawl with this one. I've got my eye on Eunny's Print o' the wave stole... Think I can handle it?



Some amazing handpainted handspun wool for a crazy bumpy lumpy hat... Yippee!!


I'm not sure what to do with this one yet... I started a onesie... but I didn't like it. Since then, it's been waiting waiting waiting... Any ideas?


A washcloth, of course.

Well, then I have bits of left over this and that... And a BUNCH of acrylic novelty stuff that I doubt I'll use. What should I do with it?