yarntherapy

Yay, a finished object!

Boo, no pictures!

I finished Michelle's shrug and it is unbelievably cute! And, since the weather here has been heinously cold and rainy for nearly-June, she even got to wear it today to a luncheon event! Happy happy. Now I have to make mine and then you'll have a picture. The details - Pashmina Shrug from the Spring 2003 Interweave Knits, Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino in black, size 2 needles. It's so soft and looks great, three-quarter sleeves with a teeny ruffle at the cuff. I found it amusing that this is from two years ago when shrugs are the height of fashion right now, with Interweave doing a shrug pattern as a web exclusive. I like this pattern better, though - not a speedy knit, necessarily, but more fitted and a bit dressier.

I also got a new toy:

 

Why? I have no idea. I love i-cord, I love gadgets - why not?!

And now for the most exciting news of the week - I received my Secret Pal 5 information today! Yay again! I can't wait to get started on this - if my Pal is reading this, I will post the questionnaire soon so you will know a little bit more about me.

Oh, I almost forgot - season finale rundown:

Desperate Housewives - funny as always, can't believe Rex is dead! The murder mystery got a bit tedious, but the overall quality of the show is so outstanding it doesn't matter. Marcia Cross gets the Emmy for her breakdown.

24 - freaking Fox! Why did you ruin the whole first hour of the episode in the previews? Remind me never to watch "Next week on 24....". Ugh. Predictable, but well done. My love for Chloe knows no bounds.

Lost - wow! Loved it - definitely raised more questions than it answered, but I still found it really engaging. The end with Walt being taken - harrowing to watch. Nicely acted by the whole ensemble, but Terry O'Quinn needs to get the Emmy for his work the whole season. What an interesting character.....am I crazy, or do we still not know how he wound up in the wheelchair?

American Idol - sigh. I knew it. Neither of them sounded great on Tuesday and I just knew Carrie would win after that. I did enjoy her more on Wednesday than I have all season, so maybe someday she'll learn how to connect with what she's singing and develop a personality onstage. Bo will be fine. I'll buy his album!

busy bee

What a lovely productive day I had yesterday! I sort of flitted from project to project which is not always the most satisfying way to go about things, but I managed to get a lot done. I am doing some alterations for a couple of people so I got out the sewing machine and worked on those, taking occasional knitting breaks to prevent boredom. I'm at the skirt part of my first Crumpets dress, and endless stockinette in the round is a nice mindless diversion from pretty much anything. I am getting really good at knitting without looking, too. Only in stockinette, though. Can't imagine trying a yarnover without looking down. Yikes.

I'm probably halfway done with Branching Out. Fun, fun pattern. Can't wait to try more lace knitting, though I fear my love of immediate gratification will be frustrated by all the work it takes. We'll see - I have yarn for a Flower Basket Shawl, but I think I want to attempt the Vogue Ruffled Scarf first.

I'm almost done with Michelle's black shrug! I am literally sewing on the ribbing as I write this (type a few words, sew a few stitches.....) This is the view from here right now:

iBook, check. Cup of Earl Grey, check. Knitting, check. Just a few of my favorite things!

Speaking of which, yesterday I also made a Margarita Cheesecake. Yum, yum, yum. This the second time I've made this recipe and it always goes over like gangbusters. Easy, too - though I really need to get a KitchenAid mixer - it got pretty messy with my little hand mixer and a bowl that was just a bit too shallow. I ended up wearing quite a bit of cream cheese by the end.

I made it as a little surprise going-away present for my awesome neighbors Katie & David who are leaving me to get married and go to med school. We had a really nice time eating cheesecake, drinking Prosecco and chatting. I'll miss them a whole lot. Best of luck with everything, you guys!

too much tv - again!

Well, I'm two for three so far in reality show winners this season - Uchenna and Joyce won The Amazing Race in what was probably the best two hours of television in ages. And Rob & Amber are finally off my TV. Yay. Tom won Survivor in a very bizarre finale......poor, sweet, dumb, Ian. Worst liar ever. Ian really had no chance of winning but to throw a potential final two spot to Katie.... ew. Though I think Katie was probably guaranteed final two because she was so unlikeable and beatable. It would have been really fun to see the two guys in the finals but I knew it wouldn't happen. Oh well. Tom was awesome on the island except for the very end when he busted and then busted on Ian for "plotting" to vote against him. Well, yeah, Tom, that's the game. Knock off your competition. Like you did with Gregg. Remember? At any rate, well played and well deserved. Plus, Tom? Hot.

Which brings us to American Idol. I can't believe that there's actually the potential for there to be a winner whose album I would actually buy! I love Bo. He's gotten better and better and his maturity and confidence as a performer really shows. Raising the age was the best thing the Idol people ever did. I am not a big R&B fan, and I don't really care for most female vocalists- just a matter of taste - most of my music is male singers. I mean, I didn't really like Fantasia but I got what other people saw in her. Ruben, eh. Boooring. Loved Clay's voice but not the overly sincere presentation. I only watched the very end of season one, and I like Kelly a lot, mostly when she's able to rock it a bit. I never, ever thought that Idol would produce an actual rock singer! I wonder what the prefab hit that the finalists have to sing will be - last year's was so tailored to Fantasia it was ridiculous.

As for the ladies, well, I cannot stand Carrie despite the fact that she has the best voice and control of the bunch. She can really use her lower range which most Idol contestants just can't do. But her boring, blank stare, the dead eyes, and the utter inability to connect with her lyrics (much less remember them sometimes!) leave me completely cold. Ugh. Vonzelle, sadly, was really shaky vocally tonight on two of her songs - Chain of Fools rocked, though. She is gorgeous, has a sweet personality and some amazing riffs, but we will be bidding her good-bye tomorrow, I think. Oh well. Go Bo - let's make it three for three!

a little bit of this, a little bit of that

Wow, I am so jealous of everyone that went to Maryland. I've never been to a sheep & wool festival - in fact I hadn't even heard of such a thing before I started reading blogs. Turns out MDSW is right near where my dad lives, but I couldn't get away from work that weekend. Maybe next year - and by then I hope to know more bloggers to hang out with!

I've been so busy - I keep composing posts in my head but then I never have time to actually sit down and write them! Not to mention take pictures - blogs are just more fun with pictures, and I've realized that due to the atrocious lighting in my apartment, I have to take my pictures during the day when I have lots of natural light. I really need to get a good work light for my knitting - I'm going to go blind working by the light of my Ikea lamps.

So I did make it to School Products where of course they didn't have the needle size I needed. When will I learn to call first? I did get yarn (ooh, shocking!) - two skeins of handpainted laceweight merino, 440 yards at $6.50 each! The picture doesn't really do the colors justice - it's a blue/aqua/grey mix, sort of stormy beach colors.

Mmmmmmm. I am going to attempt the ruffled scarf in the Spring/Summer Vogue Knitting magazine. It looked easy until I read the pattern and saw that it is rated the most difficult. Ooops. It's done with short rows, which I have never done before, and you start by casting on 240 stitches. Eeek. So this will be a challenge....

I started Crumpets for my friend Sean's new baby, Charlotte:

Not much to see yet, but it should go quickly since I'm making the six-month size. I went slightly insane at first because I kept slipping my stitches the wrong way and it became a twisted mess, but once I figured it out I started cruising along. I'm using pretty lavender Cotton-Ease, which I understand has been discontinued, which is a shame. It's a really great washable option for kid's clothes. I have some in blue to make the same dress for my niece Katie.

And last but not least - I finally overcame my fear of seaming! Mattress stitch isn't so bad - when you do it right! After checking in Stitch & Bitch, I realized that I had been catching every bar, instead of two at a time. Duh. I got half of Michelle's shrug seamed this morning, it took no time at all. Look!

OK, not the most difficult thing in the world, I admit. Half an armscye and then the sleeve seam. But look at the pretty raglan!

Now I have to do the other side and attach the ribbed edging and it's finally done! Just in time for......summer. Oh well.

wha...?

Renee Zellweger and Kenny Chesney? wtf? Not quite as odd as waking up to find out that Julia Roberts had married Lyle Lovett and thinking it was a dream because I had the flu, but still. Sure didn't see that one coming! Best wishes to the happy couple, I guess.

Got my Denise set yesterday! Yay for Knitpicks and their superfast (and free!) shipping. So far I like them - very different from my beloved Addis, but the versatility is amazing. I immediately started swatching whatever I had lying around and quickly got used to them. The needles are very light but not flimsy, and while the joins aren't totally seamless I haven't run into any problems with yarn catching or anything. The cord is thicker than found in traditional circulars but really flexible. No problems there at all.

I played with some Lion Bran Microspun - possibly the splittiest yarn I have ever encountered! The Denise needles worked very well - not as slick as Addis, not as sticky as bamboo. I have a top from last summer's Vogue knitting in mind for the Microspun. As I suspected, the only real drawback of this set for me is the fact that the smallest needle is a 5 - I have a couple of things waiting in the wings that require a 3 or 4 . I know I will still get plenty of use out of the set, though.

Well, I am now off to School Products in search of the needles I need. Think I'll get out of there without any yarn?

my prayers have been answered!

And not just because freaking Scott Savol finally got the boot last night. (I was sure it would be Anthony but I should have known better - it's never the one that sucks the most that actually leaves.) I can actually live with this final four, especially after the horror of last year. Totally want Bo to win, though.

The other reason I am a happy camper is that Knitpicks finally got the Denise needles back in stock! So I ordered my set last night. I have had way too many projects lately get sidelined for lack of needles and I've read enough glowing reviews of the Denise set that I decided I had to have it. Of course, it's been out of stock everywhere for a few weeks, so I was thrilled last night when I checked Knitpicks to see that they were available. My only concern is that the smallest needle in the set is a 5, and I am a loose knitter who likes to knit little fiddly things, so I do use my 2s and 3s quite a bit. Oh well. I still think it's a good investment - 47 bucks is only 4 sets of Addis, while the Denise set gives you a zillion needle size/cord length combos.

I ordered some yarn, too - more about that when it arrives!

lots of off-topic stuff

Tuesday night is currently my big TV night, what with American Idol and Amazing Race and the fact that I get home an hour early on Tuesdays. Tonight I don't think my nerves can take it! I am still recovering from a nail-biter of an Amazing Race, and now I am having a very weird deja-vu thing with American Idol - it's Lieber & Stoller night and I used to work at Smokey Joe's Cafe when it was still running and it's so odd to hear these, um, singers singing these songs and why oh why does freaking Scott Savol have to sing On Broadway and not totally suck?? Scott, trust me,  you won't be a star on Broadway. Ever. We all hate you.

Ahem.

Amazing Race-wise, I am so conflicted. Rob & Amber make some good decisions, and then they get some local to take them all over whatever city they're in. Even in London! Where they speak English! I just don't get it - I would want to see what I could do on the Race. Isn't that the point? Well, obviously not, the point is to win a million bucks, but still...... I don't know. I wish I could respect them more. I won't post any more about tonight's episode for fear of spoiling anyone who hasn't seen it yet, but I will say that I was dying while they were in London - I love it when they go to places I know really well, which isn't often. I was screaming at my TV a few times!

Okey dokey - I have been knitting a bit! And I must say, I am a rock star - I started my first lace project (Branching Out), got going after a couple of bad starts, and messed up after 5 pattern repeats by missing a yarnover. I am SO proud of myself - I managed to un-knit a couple of rows (in lace!) and find where I messed up, and then picked up the yarnover without even having to backtrack all the way to that point.

I'm using a double strand of KnitPicks Alpaca Cloud in moss, and it will definitely benefit from lots o' blocking. Here it is as it currently looks on the needles:

Hmm, not too impressive there. Here it is pinned out a bit so you can sort of see what it will look like when it's done and blocked:

Better! I think this is going to be really pretty. I like the yarn a lot - I love little fiddly fine-gauged things! This is knitting up to be so, so soft and the color is gorgeous.

The pattern is really fun - I highly recommend this as a first lace project, and also for knitters who haven't worked from a chart before. The pattern has both written instructions and a chart, and the author recommends working from the chart. I agree! It's only a ten row repeat, and the wrong side rows are all purled so it's really just five pattern rows. I'm really getting the hang of the whole chart thing, and I'm looking forward to tackling a more complicated chart project. It's definitely easier to refer to symbols rather than words when there are lots of different stitches.