yarntherapy

it's almost enough to make me a Mets fan...

The Mets just signed a new closer - Billy Wagner. His "other job", as he puts it?

He raises alpacas.

How cool is that? Maybe he'll make a special appearance at Rhinebeck.

Is it spring yet?

still here, still knitting

I survived, and so did everyone who ate my cooking:

Turkey with herbs and butter, scalloped potatoes, green beans with pine nuts and lemon, homemade cranberry relish (two kinds!), mushroom dressing, turkey gravy, whole wheat rolls, and Windy Ridge Pinot Noir. Dessert was pear-gingerbread upside down cake with vanilla bean ice cream.

Yum.

The day was not without its small dramas - I noticed in the morning that the radiators didn't seem to be on, then I had the sinking realization that this probably meant a broken boiler, which would mean no hot water. Which was, in fact, the case - my super did get the repair guys there quickly and it was all fixed by noon. I did the first couple of dish loads with hot water boiled on the stove, but I was not about to touch the turkey until I had running hot water! Then I panicked about the timing and put the turkey in a little sooner than I should have, forgetting that an 11 pound turkey really doesn't take all day to cook. No matter, I made enough gravy to hide any dry bits. The scalloped potatoes were really the big hit, I can't wait to make those again. (and thank goodness for foodtv.com!)

It was also my birthday last week. We won't be discussing the number. My dad was so funny - he handed me an envelope and said "Here's your ball winder!" Apparently, he's been trying to get one for me since his last visit when I made him be the ball winder, but the store near him, All About Yarn, has been out of stock for months. (Actually, I'm surprised he even knew there was such a thing as a ball winder!) So he gave me the cash instead :-)

Not a whole lot of knitting news - I'm not doing much holiday knitting this year. I'm making a sweater for my niece - the Melody Cardigan from Miss Bea's Band. I'm using some lilac Zara from the stash - yay, stash busting! It will be cute but doesn't look like a whole lot yet-

Yeah, pretty much just a bunch of rectangles at the moment. It has eyelet detail around the edges that will have ribbon threaded through it. I didn't get gauge so I think it will probably be pretty big but she'll grow into it. I know her mom is a big fan of cardigans for her. The Miss Bea patterns are a little odd - they combine charts with written instructions, and the charts are really small and hard to read - I copied it and enlarged it and then realized that it needs to be copied in color since all three sizes are on one chart. The books are recommended for beginning knitters, but I'm finding them a wee bit confusing. Easy once you get started, but between the way the instructions are written and the hard-to-read chart it takes a while to get into a rhythm.

I'm finding myself wanting to branch out in my crafty ventures - I've mentioned before that doing Back-tack made me want to sew again. So we'll see what the future holds!

knitting is way more fun than cleaning...

Because, as we all know, knitting is the finest form of procrastination there is, look what I did while I should have been mopping my kitchen floor:

Yup, another done deal (almost - still needs buttons, hence the back view.) This is Glampyre's Bulky Cabled Sweater, in Knitpicks Panache (color: Moss)

This was a really fun, speedy project - a nice break from the finer-gauged stuff I usually prefer. The cabling was fun and I love the top-down construction. I also really dig the wide neckline - very flattering. I don't usually care much for garter stitch but Stefanie's mix of textures really makes it all work. I did find one teeny error in the pattern - I can't even remember what it was, just a stitch being off somewhere but easy to figure out correctly. I did change the center front button bands - when I knitted them according to the pattern, the buttonholes were too far from the edge and left too much excess fabric flapping around. I reknit the right front band with the yarnovers on row 7 instead of row 5, and the buttonholes are now properly centered in the band.

Now for what I didn't love - unfortunately, the yarn turned out to be a bit of a disappointment. I love the softness and the finished product, but after I found slubs in the first two balls, I discovered actual knots in most of the rest of the balls (I used 11). Huge pain - I had to cut and restart the yarn a bunch of times. It does respond well to spit-splicing, a technique I unfortunately forgot about until after the 4th or 5th time I cut the yarn. All in all, I expected better quality from one of Knitpicks "luxury" yarns.

So. I guess I'd better go clean something now, huh?

hopefully done

Hey, look, an actual garment!

(please disregard the mess on the couch behind me - I can't explain it.)

So this is a way cute sweater, fun to knit, great design. I used Rowan Wool Cotton in the discontinued color "Lavish" on size 3 Addi Turbo needles. The only modification I made was to do a SSK rather than a K2tog while working the neckband, then slipping that stitch on the wrong side. Jenna wrote a really great pattern - I did find what I think was a small mistake in the sleeve for the size 38 - I'd have to dig out my notes but I think the stitch counts between decreases are off.

The Wool Cotton blocks beautifully, and it's really comfortable to wear. I've worn it twice so far with no signs of pilling, though the cotton content does mean it tends to stretch out of shape a teeny bit. I should probably have made the sleeves a few rows longer but next time I wash it I'll try to get a bit more length in the blocking.

Now that this one is done it feels like I just have a pile of finishing to do - Audrey and the Cabled Cardi in particular. I don't know when it will happen since I am in full-on turkey day mode trying to clean my apartment and figure out the menu and  the timing........

I did order the turkey, though. That's a start.

I'm it!

I've been tagged by my SP5, Annie !

What is your all time favourite yarn to knit with?
I like fine, tightly spun wool or wool blends the best - Filatura Di Crosa Zara and Rowan Wool Cotton are two of my recent favorites. I'm loving the softness of Knitpicks Panache, but the fuzz is starting to annoy me.

Your favourite needles?
I've been an Addi Turbo devotee for a while now, but I'm loving my Denise set more and more - lightweight and so versatile.

The worst thing you've ever knit?
Ugh. Well, when I was first learning to knit and wanted to expand beyond hats & scarves, I decided to plunge in and knit a sweater. This was before I had discovered the Stitch & Bitch books or knitty.com. I went to the Yarn Connection, perused patterns and magazines, found something that looked simple in (I think) a Berroco book - a boatneck pullover with a little bit of lace edging at the hem. The ladies helped me pick out yarn - I don't remember what it was but it was similar to Rowan Cork - in a corally-peach shade. I knew nothing about gauge and didn't bother with it....so I didn't realize what a looooose knitter I really am. Let's just say the whole thing was hideous and huge and ugly. I did learn that I really enjoy pattern stitches and lace, but I wound up actually throwing it all away before I finished seaming it, it was so awful.

Thankfully things have progressed since then :-)

Your most favourite knit pattern? (maybe you don't like wearing it but it was the most fun to knit)
Clapotis is always fun and I really enjoyed knitting Hopeful. The Cable Cardi is really fun right now since it's going so fast!

Most valuable knitting technique?
Check. Your. Gauge.

Best knitting book or magazine?
I adore the Stitch & Bitch books, even though I still haven't made anything from either of them! Interweave is my favorite magazine, followed closely by Vogue Knitting.

Your favourite knit-along?
I was late on the bandwagon for Audrey, but I never would have been able to finish mine without all the great info from that knitalong. (what? I finished the knitting part - it's the seaming part I've blown off!)

Favourite knitblogs?
Too many to list :-)

Favourite knitwear designer?
Hmm. Love Jenna Adorno - even though she admittedly designs for a petite figure, her stuff looks great on a wide range of folks. I also like Teva Durham for her sense of adventure, but much of what she designs I probably wouldn't wear. I'd totally knit her stuff for other people, though!

The knit item that you wear the most. (how 'bout a picture of it?)
Probably my bamboo Clapotis or the green Retroprep I made a couple of years ago. With cold weather descending upon us, I'm sure more sweaters will be making appearances.

Well, at least the Yankee's season wasn't a total bust for some people.... way to go A-Rod!

be afraid - be very afraid

I just got off the phone with my friend Carol and it's official - I am hosting Thanksgiving dinner at my place.

Gulp.

I've never done this before. I am terrified.

It's not a big deal as far as Thanksgivings go - only four people (Carol, her son, my dad, and me) all of whom love me and won't think any less of me if I fuck the whole thing up. They'll mock me relentlessly for years to come, but they'll still love me. I think. As long as I don't kill anyone (hey, I managed to give myself the worst case of food poisoning ever, so I have reason to be worried.)

And space is an issue - I don't have dining room, I have TV tray tables. And two chairs. You can see how this might be an issue. Maybe Target will have a lovely collapsible card table that I can hide with a tasteful tablecloth. And two more chairs.

The side dishes, I can handle. Wine and dessert are easy. It's the freaking turkey that makes me afraid. And I don't want to go the Butterball pre-loaded-with-a-ton-of-sodium route. I want a nice, fresh turkey roasted with a ton of lovely herbs. Hopefully I can get to Whole Foods or have Freshdirect deliver one if they're not sold out.

See? Even buying the damn thing is an ordeal.

Maybe I should just knit one.

unbelievable!!

The bag:

The goods:

Wow. My back-tack "attacker" was Jenne and she freaking kicked ass. Seriously. The bag? Beautifully crafted patchwork in my favorite colors, in gorgeous Japanese silk prints backed with a matching upholstery fabric. It's awesome, matches my Cable Cardi yarn exactly, and has already become my knitting bag of choice.

Inside? Enough sexy fiber, as Jenne put it, to make me once and for all get the hang of the drop spindle. All of it was wrapped in contrasting fabrics, so the whole package was just one big fiber-fest. There were even some sweet treats and a CD!

Oh, and an owl:

How cute! And oddly enough, all the colors and fabrics go really well with the Lantern Moon needle case that Wendy sent me earlier this week - it's eerie!

More photos available at my Flickr - I can't deal with how long Typepad is taking to upload photos.

Back-tack was an awesome project. I had great partners on both ends, and I really enjoyed the experience of desiging and making Caro's bag. The bag Jenne made me is inspiring me to maybe do some patchwork or quilting...... I am really itching to expand my crafting horizons!

I have been a very bad girl...

I have.

I peeked.

The Flickr gallery for back-tack II went up yesterday. My bag is still on its way to me. I was always the kid who knew exactly where mom hid all the Christmas presents - I can't help myself. I rarely had a surprise under the tree because I had already seen everything. It's an illness.

So while I should have waited a few days until my package arrived, I didn't. I clicked through the Flickr gallery in wonderment at all of the amazing work people had done, and before I knew what I was doing, I saw my name and had to check it out.

It's gorgeous. I'm not even going to say anything more right now - I want to wait until it arrives so I can write a proper thank-you. But to my sender - thank you so  much for your beautiful work and for reading my mind just a little. I probably wasn't as helpful as I could have been, but I can't imagine anything more perfect. You're the best!

Marathon Sunday

I love the New York City Marathon! (excuse me, the ING New York City Marathon, as we were constantly reminded on TV this morning)

Now, I am not a runner. At all. Which is probably why I am in complete awe of anyone who can run 26.2 miles without dropping dead. It's just beyond me.

The New York Marathon is, of course, one of the premier events of the sport and what makes it so cool to me is that it is such a New York event. It goes through all 5 boroughs, through many of the distinct neighborhoods that make this such a great place. It attracts people from over 100 countries, and their impact is really felt during the week of the race. I work in the Times Square area, and this week we have had roving bands of international runners wearing matching tracksuits and admiring the sights. I saw a whole bunch of wheelchair racers cruising up 8th Ave Friday, looking like a very fit bunch of Hell's Angel's.

I work on Sundays, so I always watch the race on TV in the morning - I have just enough time to see the start, with the incredible sight of 37,000 people making their way across the Verrazano Bridge; and then I leave for work a couple of hours later just after the top runners finish (and it was a sprint to the end this year - unbelievable!). I work about 8 blocks south of the finish line at Columbus Circle, so when I get there, the "regular folk" are finishing over the course of several hours, and the streets are filled with fans and well-wishers, and sweat-drenched marathoners wearing their finisher's medals walking back to their hotels. I always want to walk up to every one of them and shake their hand (however, I think they'd all rather hurry into a nice, long, hot bath.)

It's just a really cool event, that anyone can be involved in, either as a racer or a fan or volunteer. I was fortunate enough to be at the finish line at the last Olympic marathon in Athens, and as awesome and historic as that was, there is nothing like the energy around a NYC Marathon.

Congratulations to everyone out there who took part in the marathon today!

surprise!

Wow! I found a fantastic surprise in my mailbox yesterday!

I was Wendy's secret pal for SP5, and she sent me the most awesome thank-you gift - a Lantern Moon needle roll!  Check it out - here it is closed:

And open:

So. Pretty. It came wrapped in rich gold paper and tied with some orangey yarn that looks suspiciously like it may be the remnants of a Tiger sock......

What a great surprise! Thanks so much, Wendy! You are so thoughtful.

Knitting news - the Cabled Cardi is proving to be a nice quick knit, even with the huge chunk of progress I had to rip out due to my inability to count stitches. Here are the center back cables:

MMM, soft. Loving the Knitpicks Panache, but a word of warning - I've found a couple of fairly large slubby flaws in a couple of balls. Not a big deal in a project with this much texture, but if you're knitting large swathes of stockinette you might want to rewind the balls to find any flaws first so you can compensate accordingly. It won't take long, they're only 68 yards each.

I've decided to tackle some new techniques - namely intarsia and maybe Fair Isle. I realized that having an 18-month old niece means that I have a teeny little canvas to practice on! I ordered Miss Bea's Dressing Up from the Rowan Miss Bea collection - cutest toddler patterns ever with adorable photos and illustrations. The patterns themselves look a wee bit confusing, with overlapping charts, but nothing a little judicious highlighter use won't fix.

I might have also ordered a few other Miss Bea books, but we'll talk about that later.