yarntherapy

Man, I do not get enough exercise. I know that you're supposed to get at least 30 minutes a day. I know this. It shouldn't be that hard. I know that I would look and feel a lot better if I got even that small amount of exercise. The thing is, I hate working out. Hate it. I need to be as distracted as possible from the fact that I am sweating - I need a gym with digital cable so I can watch TV and ignore the fact that I am sweaty. I know I'll never go to the gym if it's not, like, in my basement. And there is no gym near me - there was one that closed under shady circumstances - I stopped in one day to inquire about their rates and the guy told me to come back on Monday because they were having a special. Cool. Went back on Monday and they were closed. For good. Bummer.

There is, however, a spectacular park half a block from my apartment with all kinds of hiking trails and stuff. So - the gist of this post is as follows: I am taking baby steps in this process, but I am resolving to walk/hike/jog in the park for at least 30 minutes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. And I will write about it in this here blog. I see that others have had success with exercise and diet plans by blogging about their progress, so hopefully it will work for me as well. If anyone reads here regularly and you think I might be slacking, I invite you to call me on it and harass me until I get back on track. I'm hoping to add to this pathetic workout schedule as I go along - I just want to really make it a habit (like knitting! and blogging! Gee, I know where I can find those 30 minutes I need......)

In knitting news, I am going through a phase where a lot of projects are sort of bubbling to the surface of my brain. (During these phases, most of the ideas tend to bubble back down and disappear. But it's always a good start!) I'm going to use up some stash knitting items to sell at the Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids flea market in September. I'm thinking pink & green scarves and some poppies..... I also have some purse designs I want to work on and maybe sell. The yarn is staring at me from my shelves, I just need to sit down and do some math. I finished the back of Audrey - she's a quick knit once the shaping makes sense! Still slogging through Branching Out - I want it to be really long, so I'm just going to knit until I run out of yarn. I'm taking about 18 minutes per pattern repeat (15 if I really crank it) so I try to find small chunks of time where I can knock off a repeat or two.

And this afternoon I am finally going to visit The Point! It's the newest addition to the NYC knitting scene and already a big hit with bloggers. It's a yarn store & cafe which is conveniently located just a few blocks from where I get my hair cut. It's always a fun day when I get my hair cut - the salon is in Soho so I always make time for some shopping afterwards.

Oh - today's workout - 30 minute hike in the park!

no one said it would be easy

So. I had the "Eureka" moment and the Audrey increases suddenly made perfect sense. I reread the pattern more carefully than before, and found the key. The first row of increases call for you to increase right before or after the marked stitch. Not a problem the first time, but trying to repeat that row as instructed and keep the ribbing straight proved impossible. A closer reading of the pattern revealed the fact that you are to "take inc stitches into rib." Now it made sense that you can in fact do the increases wherever they need to happen to keep the pattern flowing. I just needed to examine each row before I started to determine where the increase should take place, and whether it should be a knit or a purl. I thought of it in terms of keeping the ribbing correct from the outside edge in. This site has great videos showing several different types of M1 increases.

Does that make any sense whatsoever?

Anyway, here's the result:

Much better, I think. The left side looks better for some reason, but I'm not going to go crazy over wonky stitches. If I did, I'd never finish a project!

Close-up:

But - then I look closer and I see this:

See it? The purl where there should be a knit stitch? Yeah, I guess that's what happens when you knit while watching The Amazing Race. It was about 6 inches from the top, too. Easy to fix, thank goodness, I just dropped stitches and redid them with a crochet hook. The Calmer is very cooperative about mistakes like that!

backstage blogger

Grrrrrr....I was called in for  a rehearsal today that involves a lot of downtime - and I left my damn knitting at home! So annoying. Thank goodness I remembered to bring the iBook, so at least I can blog. And blog surf. And shop.

Wow, I really should have remembered my knitting.

So did you notice I have a new look here? I find it really amusing that when Typepad did their renovations, the two new "special interest" themes were Knitting and Stitching. Not, like, kite flying or football. Crafters are taking over the world, I tell you. I like this look, actually. It suits me, and I don't have the time or the skills to get too fancy with the design. I'm glad someone else has done it for me!

ribbitt.......

Guess what I did?

Yeah, I frogged Audrey. I just couldn't wrap my brain around the increases and it was too hard to rip back since I didn't use a lifeline, then I decided I didn't want to live with the couple of decrease mistakes I had made. So I'm starting over. I'll run a lifeline before the increases, and I'm paying more attention to how the decreases are done so the mirroring of the increases makes more sense. I know this isn't that hard! I just have some kind of mental block. This is definitely a garment where my knowledge of garment construction helps a lot with certain things, but isn't remotely helpful with others. Stay tuned for the post where I figure it out and slap myself in the head because it's so simple.

In other knitting news, I decided to clean out and organize my craft closet. Scary, is all I'm saying at the moment. More on that whole process as it goes on. But guess what I found?

My very first Finished Object:

You can even see one of the many dropped stitches!

This little hat was my very first project. My knitting guru Gayle sent me to Yarn Connection with orders to come back with a couple of skeins of Cotton Classic and some needles. She showed me how to figure gauge, how to cast on, how to do a knit and a purl and the rest is history. Gayle, you created a monster :-)

pinstripe heaven

When is $400,000 a bargain?

When Al Leiter helps the Yankees smoke the Red Sox!

That last inning had me completely nauseous. Whatever the rest of the season has in store for us, this was a damn fun series. The definition of nail-biter, I do believe.

Something I forgot to talk about when I reviewed my Honeymoon experience - this was a really great project to explore the versatility of the Denise needles. The shaping at the top of the bodice involves a lot of holding of stitches and and switching from circulars to straights. The Denise needles were the perfect tool to use - just switch between the needle and the end cap, leave the cable as a stitch holder... it was so easy!

I worked on Branching Out a bit at work today - I've figured out a couple of undisturbed moments where I can get in a couple of rows. I really want to finish this scarf!

Audrey, on the other hand......I may just frog and start again. Stay tuned.

Did I mention that the Yankees just took 3 games from Boston at Fenway?

the Honeymoon is over

Hey, I have actual knitting to talk about!

So here is my finished Honeymoon Cami:

Ugh, awful picture.

Anyway, here are my thoughts on Honeymoon: I love the pattern! I love that it is a camisole but not too bare and strappy. The waist shaping is really flattering (not that you can tell from that hideous photo.) I also love the twisted ribbing at the hem. That said, this is not my favorite finished object. It's a bit too big, and I should have gone down a size after seeing that several people at the knitalong did that. And, as I've mentioned before, I'm not totally thrilled with my choice of yarn (Elann Endless Summer) but it was so cheap, it was totally worth using to experiment with. I will certainly be making another cami or two in nicer yarn.

I've been working a bit on Branching Out but it's hard to find quiet time when I can concentrate on the pattern. It's nice and portable, but lace is too much fuss to deal with at work or on the train. So, guess what I finally started?

Look familiar? I am the last girl in blogland to jump on the Audrey bandwagon!

I've had the yarn for months and I joined the knitalong with every intention of actually participating but life and other projects got in the way. So I cast on a couple of days ago and got a good chunk of the back done. Thank goodness for that knitalong - while I won't have anything to add, it's a terrific resource with lots of good information and photos.

The decreases were a piece of cake, despite what I had read. It made perfect sense to me to continue the pattern as set and to wind up with a column of K1P1 in a few places. I think they look OK:

A little wonky, but this will be the back. There are a couple of mistakes on the left side because I was cruising along, proud that I had conquered the decreases, and wondering why they weren't designed to mirror each other........then I reread the pattern and saw the part about k3tbl on the left side. Oops.

The increases are another story. And it's not a pretty one. I had an "aha" moment where I thought I had it figured out, but something isn't right. My columns don't flow in 2x2 ribbing out of the princess line as they should - I'm doing some weird thing where they dissolve into each other, if that makes sense:

Ugh. I'm kicking myself for not running a lifeline before starting the increases. I think I'm going to have to rip back and try again. Hopefully I won't have to frog the whole thing, but I will if it gets too messed up.

Any Audrey knitters out there with increase advice? Most of what I've found at the knitalong was on the decreases and for some reason I can't translate it into what I'm missing!

 

I beg to differ

Catherine Zeta Jones is a knitter. How nice! But I do take issue with the article referring to knitting as a hobby associated with "less-than-glamorous old ladies." Sheesh.

The new Knitty is up, and it's an all-mens issue. There are some really nice sweaters and a fun drunken argyle vest. I am also kind of charmed by the fact that Hardcore was designed by a teenaged boy. Unfortunately, this issue mostly just reminds me that I have no guy to knit for. Bleh.

I also picked up the new Interweave Knits yesterday. Eh. Nothing I'm dying to make, except maybe the Greek pullover (without the twee ruffled trim.) There is a nice little article about the knitters backstage at Fiddler on the Roof - there are some remarkable knitters on Broadway! I wonder if I'm the only one with a blog, though.....

little to say

I feel like I shouldn't even be blogging about knitting right now, but I guess I'm a big believer in "go about your business or the terrorists win."

My heart goes out to all Londoners. Doesn't matter that the city has been through it before - when it happens during your own life it's devastating.

My fave public radio guy, Brian Lehrer, just said "It seems that there is a lot to feel and not much to say." That sums up my mood pretty well.

I finished up the knitting on Honeymoon last night, but I still need to weave in the ends and adjust the straps. It's cute, I think. I need to figure out how to make the underarm bind-offs look nicer, though.

And here for your amusement, another picture from my vacation:

life is rough

          

Yes, there was sand and there was surf. There was snorkeling and fish and coral. There were Red Stripes and Caribs and rum punches. Nights spent on deck watching tarpon chase each other and days on the beach searching for the prettiest shells. Lots of new friends, and even a wedding!

Many pictures to follow....