Mindless Stockinette

Wow, I needed that. I am currently working on four patterns. One is lace, two are cabled and one is cabled lace. It was a real pleasure to take a break during the Oscars and knit this hat. Then last night as I left work to head to Purlygirls I realized I left my knitting bag at home. Fortunately I noticed right when I got in my car. I went back into the shop and grabbed one of my sample knitting projects, the Neckdown Pullover for Women from Knitting Pure and Simple. I had just separated the sleeves so I was knitting the body, which has no shaping, around and around and around. Ahhh...

Zasu approves of the hat.

High School Reunion Night at the Oscars

First knitting content: I knit a Dulaan hat during the Oscars from my handspun alpaca/wool that I used a few months ago to make fingerless mitts and some Cascade 220.

It occurred to me during the ceremony that three people from my high school were up for major awards. Bennett Miller and Dan Futterman, director and writer of Capote respectively, graduated three years ahead of me. And Matt Dillon graduated (I think) a year or two before I started high school. But I was really shocked to hear the name of one of my college professors nominated for Best Documentary Short Subject. I turned to Wes and said, "Did he just say Eric Simonson?" And then he won! Cool.

As for the clothes, too much black and too much nude clothes with nude makeup (Uma, Naomi, Nicole, I'm talking to you). I didn't think there were any real clunkers out there except for Naomi Watts's tulle explosion and Rachel McAdams's really unattractive yellow sparkly thing with the--what was that? A butterfly in the middle of her chest? And Jennifer Lopez looked bizarre with her hair pulled back so tight that I thought her eyes would fall out. Also Charlize Theron looked quite matronly with her 50s hair and brown bow (and it's hard to make that woman look bad). I thought Salma Hayek stood out for wearing a gown that played up her figure perfectly, was sexy but not tacky and a color! I was so grateful to see a color!

I was really disappointed that Brokeback Mountain didn't get Best Picture and also more upset than I thought I would be that Michelle Williams didn't get Best Supporting Actress though I didn't think she would.

I was pleased that many refrained from the thank-you-list-as-acceptance-speech. I particularly enjoyed the passion of Gavin Hood's speech.

I could go on but I'll spare you.

My Public

Yesterday I was in the coffee shop at Barnes & Noble with my kids. A woman approached me and asked, "Are you Jessica?" I said yes and she told me she read my blog. We smiled and she left. My older son asked, "Is she a blogfan?"

Greetings from the Island of Abandoned Baby Knitting*

Knitting for babies is so enticing. Those cute, little patterns. It seems like everyone around me is constantly whipping out adorable, tiny projects for new arrivals. I seem to be right at that point in my life where everyone I know already has school-age kids like me. No baby knitting in sight. I had one pregnant knitting friend and got all worked up. I was going to make her something! I tried. Then I tried some more. Then I tried again. But I have nothing to show for it but this pile of unfinished nothing.

1) Dainty Bootees from Knitting for Two. I thought I had enough yarn when I started. But when I had four rows left to knit on the first one I ran out of yarn and can't find the rest.

2) I attempted to crochet some booties. Crochet is not for me.

3) Lace hat from IK. I completely ran out of yarn about 1/8th of the way into the project. What was I thinking?

The friend has now left the state along with her unborn child so I will probably not be attempting another baby project for a while.

*The knitting is abandoned, not the babies.

Living Dangerously for a Really Long Time

About a billion years ago*, I started one of Susan's Live Dangerously, Don't Swatch (.pdf) hats. In sock yarn. Really, what was I thinking? It sat by my computer and once every month or so I would pick it up and knit a few rounds. Last night, I needed something mindless to knit (my four current projects are all charted). I finally finished the damned thing. What do you know.



This is leftover Sheep's Gift from Joslyn's Fiber Farm and Mountain Colors Weaver's Wool Quarters knit on US3s.

*slight exaggeration

All the Good Plying Puns Have Been Taken

On Friday I did a little plying.


85 yards silk/merino lace-weight. Click for detail.


54 yards of marled merino from my class with Judith Mackenzie at Madrona. Click for detail.

I don't think I'll ever do anything with these tiny bits of yarn but I got some good experience from them.

I also finally finished spinning some thick and thin singles from the last of my Butternut Woolens hand-painted top.


60 yards of heavy worsted.

I have about 250+ yards of the Butternut singles now. I'm not sure what I'll make with them. I still need to give them a good soak and block.

Good Listening

Right now I'm listening to The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou soundtrack. I know a lot of people felt disappointed with the movie. For the first half I was not feeling involved with it all. It wasn't funny. It wasn't working for me. Then suddenly half-way through it clicked with me and I found it hilarious, touching and beautiful. One of the best things in the film was it's use of diegetic music. Seu Jorge, the Brazilian actor/singer who portrayed Knockout Ned in City of God (one of the best I've seen in the last five years), plays one of the crew members who is always singing David Bowie songs on acoustic guitar in Portuguese. It's such a great spin on the songs. They're familiar and yet completely alien and so soulful when stripped down.

Hey! Where Did My Week Go?

It's Friday already? This week just evaporated for me.

I did get a few things done. Yesterday I did a tiny bit of spinning with some merino/silk from Chasing Rainbows that I was given at Madrona.

There won't be enough to do anything with when I'm done but it will be a nice souvenir skein.

I did a little work on the first sleeve from Durrow.


I started my second Sockapaloooza sock.

Still impossible to see the pattern.

My Cash Iroha arrived!

It's not the same dyelot (too much to hope for) but it's damned close. I can't see any difference. I still have to chart the fronts before I can back to knitting.

And lastly, from Berocco, why I don't crochet.

Thursdays are for What the Hell is This?

It's like shooting fish in a barrel. It's so easy I feel a little bad about it. Maggie Jackson has a new book out.


Classic Maggie. Ripped shoulder, extra ruffles and a "I gotta pee" pose from the model.


Another Maggie favorite technique: Throw it all against the wall and see what sticks. Then add ruffles.

The model is awaiting her execution for crimes against fashion.




Another pointy in the front, nothing in the back look. Why, Maggie? Why?



And then the worst offense, cruelty to animals.

I'm a Corporate Shill

See me sell out for Visa.

Template Imploded

Please be patient while I rebuild my blog.

**Updated** I think I got it all back now.

One Crooked Cable

I ran outside to try to capture some daylight for the photo. You still can't see the pattern at all but at least you can see the colors.