A blog about my life, knitting, and other stuff.

December 30, 2007

Can't Blog, Working

Thanks to after-holiday craziness and year-end inventory I'm in the middle of 6 straight days of work. Add to that the cold/cough/whatever that has settled in my lungs for the last few weeks and I'm totally wiped out. I'm crawling off to watch something on tv and work on my Endpaper Mitts. Catch you all on the other side.

December 28, 2007

Can't Blog, Crafting

I've just been too busy to blog.

I finished the first Bayerische.



I started my Sophia Carry-All.



I skipped breakfast (and blogging) to make up these gift bags.



I started my Endpaper Mitts with these yarns (Koigu).



I started a shawl for the shop in Noro Kureyon Sock yarn.



I am so tired.

What Qualifies as News in Seattle

A naked fight over a dog. Seriously people? Is there nothing else to discuss?

December 27, 2007

Thursdays are for What the Hell is This?

We've already established that Big Ass Knits repel pants. I've now found evidence that like polar-opposite magnets they begin to repel the models wearing them.

One moment they're fine and dandy (if by "dandy" you mean "totally crazy")...



Then, suddenly, timberrrrrr.



Imagine how embarrassing that would be at the grocery store.

Once again, one minute they're on.



Then next minute they're running for the hills.



Consider yourself warned.

December 26, 2007

Christmas Miracles Abound

Miracle #1: Snow on Christmas Day in Seattle!



Miracle #2: I finished my first Bayerische. Sorry, no photo.

Miracle #3: No one cried or vomited on Christmas! A first for our family, I believe. We also went downtown and rode on the South Lake Union Trolley, better known as the S. L. U. T. It's a tragedy it doesn't go anywhere worthwhile.



Isabella wishes you all a joyous season.

December 24, 2007

Christmas is for What the Hell is This?

Remember this old SNL skit about New Shimmer?



Well, Berr@c@ came up with the same idea.

It's a tree skirt!



It's a capelet!



It's a tree skirt and a capelet.

Merry, merry everyone.

Scrap X Quilt



Pattern: Scrap X Quilt from Happy Things
Fabric: Loads of scraps
Notes: This is really fun to make. Just grab scraps and whack 'em all together. I made my first pieced border adding in leftover strip sections. If I make another I will mix up my strips to make my Xs. I put all four of each kind together and they didn't match up well. I also used unwashed cottons and then threw the quilt in the washer and dryer. I love the rumpled vintage look.

Gift Bag



Instead of wrapping a friend's present in paper I made this gift bag.

Pattern: Simple Leather-Handled Shoulder Bag from Amy Butler's In Stitches.
Fabric: 30s reproduction fabric from the Aunt Grace collection given to me by Erin.
Notes: I followed the pattern as written except for subbing grosgrain ribbon for the leather straps. It's very simple and fast to sew. I made it up while Wes made dinner.

December 23, 2007

Buzzword!

Knitters do truly rule. "Kinnear" made the New York Times buzzword list for 2007. Go Stephanie!

December 22, 2007

All Over the Freaking Place

I'm exhausted what with all the shopping, parties, working and general craziness of the season. Throw in my inability to get to bed before 1 or 2 and you've got yourself one unfocused knitter.

I've been plugging along on Bayerische. I'm about two inches from the toe decreases on the first sock. It's still slow and I still love it. I've also been dinking around with my Tailored Scallops, my Terra Bear, my sock yarn blanket and my doll quilt. Hopefully I'll pull myself together and finish something soon.

December 20, 2007

Thursdays are for What the Hell is This?

Scene: Design meeting for a well-known knitwear magazine.

"Come on, people, we've got to come up with something totally new. Something no one has ever done before that will be completely unflattering to every body type."
"How about an enormous, shapeless poncho?"
"It's been done to death."
"An enormous, shapless, belted poncho?"
"Wait a minute. Now we're getting somewhere. What else can we do?"
"Integrated belt holes!"
"Genius!"



"Now what can we make out of pink mohair that would be completely unwearable?"
"Three words, boss. Balloon. Skirt. Dress."
"Well, I guess we can take an early lunch."

December 18, 2007

Holiday-O-Matic



Wes's company has created this festive greeting machine to send holiday cheer and fight hunger in Seattle. For every holiday greeting you send from the Holiday-O-Matic Worktank will donate 50 cents to Rotary First Harvest.

December 17, 2007

A New Quilt

Rather than finishing any of the many quilts I have mostly done, I started a new one this weekend. It's a very quick scrappy doll quilt based on this tutorial.



This project is so much fun. No fussy measuring. No planning. Just cut strips and sew. It goes very quickly.

Belly Really Likes Her Bully

Isabella stuck her bully stick under the loveseat cushion and then couldn't find it. So she removed a large swath of upholstery.



It was very tiring.

December 16, 2007

2 Second Film Reviews

Atonement: Stunning. Brilliant adaptation of a truly magnificent novel.
No Country for Old Men: Brutal. Brilliant adaptation of a truly magnificent novel.

And yet Alvin and the Chipmunks made $45 million this weekend.

December 14, 2007

This is Going to Take a While

I started Bayerische on Monday night. This is all I've got so far.



This is Lorna's Shepherd Sock in Pine. The color on the photo is crap. Sorry. The pattern is slow-going but the result is pretty fabulous. It's making me want to cast on again for Am Kamin.

At work I started the argyle double-knit scarf from the cover of Son of Stitch 'n Bitch. I find scarves a bit tedious. A double-knit scarf means I'm knitting two scarves at the same time. A whole new level of tedium. I finally got into a bit of a rhythm with it though and realized that the first repeat looked like crap. I ripped it all out last night and am ready to start again.

In the meantime I'll have to do that old blog stand-by--pet photos.



"Hey, mom. Stop blogging and play with me."

December 13, 2007

Thursdays are for What the Hell is This?

This week I present a video edition of WTHIT. I don't think any commentary is necessary.

December 12, 2007

Knitscene Preview

It's up.
Discuss.

Belly Likes Her Bully

Like all puppies, Isabella likes to chew. She has thankfully only destroyed one flip flop in her four weeks with us. We've gotten her a variety of toys to try to keep her occupied. I got her a bone last week that was one of those man-made composite things. She enjoyed it but it was gone in a few hours and left her and the whole house looking like this.



A friend suggested bully sticks. I got her one on Friday and it lasted several days and she really loved it. Wes wondered aloud the other night as to what a bully stick really is. I looked it up. Ay carumba! It's gross but how can you argue with this face?

Mittens


Matching ones for the little guy.


Mismatched for the big guy.


Pattern: Write, Mama, Write Fabric Mitten Tutorial
Fabric: Leftover polar fleece and quilting cotton just lying around the house
Notes: These are fast and super-duper easy. My stitching is pretty sloppy on these as I just did everything by eye. The boys both said they liked them because they "make good boxing gloves."

December 10, 2007

The Cobbler's Children Will Have Shoes

Last weekend Wes told me that we needed to go shopping because the boys need hats, mittens and scarves.

Uh, hello? Have you met me? I make stuff.

First I pointed out that our older son has the Star Wars hat from last year. There was no way I'd knit a hat, two pairs of mittens and two scarves fast enough for these guys. I decided to go the quick and dirty method on the scarves. I cut out two rectangles of polar fleece that I have lying around. Done! I was going to serge the edges to make them more "finished" looking but screw it. They're just going to lose them anyway so I can't be bothered. I cast on for the hat in Kid Classic which is done (see below). Then I started thinking about mittens. I found this tutorial. I started to make my first mitten. Halfway in I realized I had made it too small. I set it aside. I made another.



Not too bad. I didn't pull the elastic out enough so the cuff is baggy. I thought it would be good enough and went to start the second mitten. Ack! Not enough fabric. I had already used half my fabric for the aborted, too small mittens. Damn!

But wait. I'm a quilter now. Sort of. I can piece together the fabric I need!



You can see the remains of the first pair here in what looks like the female reproductive systems rendered in 30s reproduction fabric. Sadly, it was not enough even after I sewed together all my scraps. I set the mitten aside, wanting my son to try it on first before going any further. It's too big for him but fits his big brother who says he does not care if his mittens match.

Three more mittens to go and the cobbler's children will have shoes.

Kid Classic Kid Cap



Pattern: Improvised. I cast on a guesstimated number of stitches, knit the ribbing then increased about 8 stitches. I knit the stripes using Fibonacci numbers.
Yarn: Kid Classic leftovers from Poppy
Needles: US7 Clover circulars
Notes: I took out the original background of this photo. No one needs to see how messy my kitchen is!

December 9, 2007

Laila's Socks



Pattern: Laila's Socks from Folk Knitting in Estonia
Yarn: Nature's Palette Fingering (Light Teal) and Koigu (Brown)
Needles: US1 Addi Lace Needles
Notes: This pattern moves really quickly. Most rows are solid colors or alternating light and dark. If you are considering a first-time stranded colorwork project this would be a great choice.

December 8, 2007

Gypsy Lace Shawl



Pattern: Gypsy Lace Shawl by Evelyn Clark from Fiber Trends
Yarn: Cashsoft 4-ply
Needles: US5 Addi Turbos
Notes: This is a pretty small shawl. As written it is only intended to be 36" square. Mine is an inch or two smaller. I used a slightly larger yarn than called for but it did not block out as much as the original yarn in the pattern (Zephyr or Dawn)I think due to the microfiber content. It would make a great baby blanket or lap warmer. This one is a shop model.

December 7, 2007

Marginal Starlet Confusion

Why is it every time someone mentions Eliza Dushku I think they mean Elisa Cuthbert?

December 6, 2007

Thursdays are for What the Hell is This?

I had no idea the folks at Kn1tter's Magazine were such big Pink Floyd fans. I was stunned to find this tribute to The Wall in the latest issue.


December 5, 2007

Three Down and One to Go



I'm nearly done with the picot bind off on my Gypsy Lace Shawl. It's been my shop knitting project for months. I only work on it at the shop during quiet times when I have nothing else to do. I'm so close to the end now though I brought it home with me last night to finish that final bit. Just one side left to bind off.

December 3, 2007

Washed Away

Saturday afternoon I was teaching a class on Terra Bear at the shop. The class became completely unfocused when it started snowing. It was coming down in huge, heavy clumps. It was starting to stick. Seattle folk kind of freak out when this happens. Mainly because it's so hilly and we have, like, 2 snowplows for the whole city. The snow continued through the afternoon. I went to my first "Basic Manners" class for Isabella then I went to meet Wes and the boys in Queen Anne, where they were baby sitting. It was coming down hard on QA. We were at the very top of the hill and it was a wall of snow. I stayed for only a short time and left to get the boys home for bed.

That's when I got stuck.

I didn't have my camera so I've created this picture to illustrate.



I somehow, very slowly and carefully, managed to crawl my way up this hill. There was the brief moment when the car began to slide backwards that I really panicked but like I said somehow we made it up the hill. Then we had to make it down the hill then up another hill. These are big hills. How big? So big that at the bottom of the hill it was 5 degrees warmer and raining while snowing furiously at the top.

Anyway, long story short. I made it home. By the time Wes left it was raining on Queen Anne so he didn't get any of the excitement on his way home.

Sunday was filled with boring errands and terrible rain. And today it's raining like the end of the world. Everything is flooded or flooding. Everything is damp and dark.

I'm almost at the heel of my second Laila sock and I've been working on a Terra Bear as a class sample. Other than that nothing much on the knitting front. I blame Bogglific on Facebook. Wes and I have gotten kind of addicted and have spent way too much time playing in the last few days.

And note to the guy sitting opposite me at the coffee shop right now: Your coffee drink may be delicious but that does not make it okay to repeatedly wipe out the inside of your cup with your finger and lick it.

November 30, 2007

Face Really "Comes to Life"

Have you ever seen Faces in Places? I love the quirky and charming photos that show faces hidden in everyday things. Today while waiting in the car at the grocery store I spied this in my rearview mirror.



Isn't this a cast member from Robots?

In other weirdness, Wes and I saw this toy at Fred Meyer the other night.




The box says she "really 'comes to life'!" Umm. No. She really doesn't. And putting in emphatic quotes doesn't suddenly change the meaning of coming to life. You can read more about Butterscotch the pony if you're so inclined.

Still stranger is this hilarious video which shows new Grey's Anatomy star Chyler Leigh's film debut in which she makes out with her own brother. McNasty!

November 29, 2007

Thursdays are for What the Hell is This?

I have long hypothesized that Big Ass Knits repel pants. I now have photographic evidence.



Observe how the pants move away from the giant tank top.

November 28, 2007

Day Off

This is my first full day off in a very long time. Seattle elementary schools go to half-day in November. It sucks. So today with a full six hours to myself I've filled my schedule with a bunch of boring crap. Haircut, bra shopping (Whee. Don't you wish you were me?), returning library books, mailing packages. The fun never stops, I'm telling you.

I did finish the first Laila sock last night and I think it's quite fetching. And it fits per-fect-ly.



If you like this pattern but think it looks intimidating I urge you to give it a try. There are far more solid color rows than two-color rows. It goes quickly and is very easy to follow.

November 26, 2007

Enchanted

We took the boys to see Enchanted yesterday. It's a great movie. Amy Adams is pitch-perfect as a classic Disney princess. The film is clever, well-paced and lots of fun. The boys both thoroughly enjoyed it too. My younger son declared, as the credits began to roll, "That was the best movie ever!"

The grand finale of the film reminded me of watching Lord of the Rings with my older son. The boys, sitting on each side of me, kept saying, "Kiss her. Just kiss her!"

November 25, 2007

Weekender Bag




Pattern: Weekender Bag by Amy Butler
Fabric: Forest Passion Vines and Forest Imperial Fans from the Nigella Collection by Amy Butler
Notes: This pattern is a huge pain in the ass. I've been working on it for a month and a half. All the fussy details which make it a pain also are what make it a great looking bag. I don't know if I'll ever make another one but I'm really pleased with the job I did on this one. I was too excited to wait for daylight to take decent photos.

I Can Has Foot?

November 24, 2007

Conversation in a Yarn Shop

"I'm looking for a book. It's called Leviathan Mittens."
"Ummm...Latvian Mittens?"
"Oh yes, that's it."

Po-tay-to, po-tah-to.

November 23, 2007

Much Better



I swapped out the multi-colored Socks That Rock for Nature's Palette in Light Teal.

November 22, 2007

Thursdays are for What the Hell is This?

Ladies, there is an accessory that is absolutely de rigueur this winter. You won't want to be caught dead without one.

Helmets.

For day.



And night.



Start knitting, ladies. You don't want to look foolish, do you?