Somebody disappeared off the planet

...and it was me.
Sorry about that. I've been head over heels busy with "The Gala" and designing a show for Aces. (and trying to finish my MWS for gala.) I've been spending all my free time knitting, and doing very little internet-ing. But, I am popping in, just to do the meme I've been tagged twice for. Bad Costumechick.
here goes:
The rules: Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you have posted your answer.
1. What was I doing 10 years ago?
I was married for 1 year, and designing "You Can't Take it With You" for 'Summer Circle Theatre" in East Lansing, MI; having just finished my first year of grad school.
2. Five (non-working) things on my to-do list today?
Dude it's all work. But, I'll try to think of other things.
1. wash the sheets on the bed
2. Finish the body of the MWS (Only 6 pattern rows left!)
3. water my plants
4. eat dinner (I do actually have to put this on a list. DH is working evenings, and I forget)
5. highlight my hair.
3. Snacks I enjoy:
Dark chocolate, dark chocolate covered things, coffee, pea pods, tomatoes, nuts, things with yellow cheese dust on it, roller dogs, ice cream, cheese, chocolate. I like food. Let's leave it at that.
4. Things I would do if I was a billionaire:
Same as everyone - pay off debt. Invest wisely, living off the interest. Buy a winter home in the Virgin Islands, and a summer home in New England (By the beach, of course) Finance DH's book. Buy a fancy schmancy Fuel cell car. Have real (not put together) furniture. Take classes when I wanted to about subjects I find interesting. Paint. Knit. Read. Be Philanthropic.
5. Places I have lived:
Oldest to newest...
Middletown, PA
California, PA
Pittsburgh, PA
Haslett, MI
Little Rock, AR
West Haven, CT
6. Jobs I have had:
this is a long damn list, so I'll hit the highlights.
"Picker" (strawberries, corn, raspberries... you can grow it, I picked it) construction worker (roofing, concrete pouring, framing, blah blah blah), waitress, short order cook, Front Gate/Hospitality for Hershey Park, Lifeguard, On Air Radio Personality, Voice Over Artist, Concert Promotions Assistant, Tutor, Costume Shop Assistant, Stitcher, Head Cashier, Properties Master, Costume Designer, Scene Designer, Scenic Charge, Technical Director, Costume Shop Supervisor, and (soon to be) high school theatre teacher.
7. Peeps I want to know more about:
Ya'll have done this! If you haven't, consider yourselves tagged!

WIp Thursday...wait. that's a sucky title

How about a project update?

I didn't get quite as much done on the Camisa sweater, as I had hoped, this past weekend. I did get the back finished, and am now picking up stitches for the front upper portion. Soon... soon... Anyhow, I like the back, and it all measures out in a good way, so I have no qualms about fit at this point. This is good. This point in the sweater proces is usually where I start worrying that it'll be too big, or too small, or that I'll run out of yarn. I am worried about running out of yarn. I always do. Everytime.

I have picked up the Mystic Waters Shawl again (Thanks Jenn). I tinked (and tinked), and reknit the row that was all jacked up. I went three pattern rows rows back, and moved 8 pattern rows forward, for a gain of five pattern rows. I want to wear this shawl to the Gala, so I have to get crackin'. I only have a chart and a half to go. Also, I didn't want to finish the Camisa before Thursday, or I would have nothing SnB suitable to work on. I plan my knitting life around SnB, evidently.

The purse is still in it's same condition. Someday I will finish it. Someday..

Vermont

Did you know they have Maple Syrup in Vermont? Yup. They do. Everywhere. Even at gas stations. I think it might be against Vermont State Law to not like maple syrup/sugar. I'd be sure to at least fake a love of it before attempting to visit the fine State of Vermont. They might kick you out.

That said, we had a great annibervisday trip. We picked Vermont because we've never been there before, and it seemed interesting. We were not disappointed. I had planned on doing a place by place journally thing, but I have since changed my mind. It is too much for one post. I will, instead, hit the highlights.

Friday: Leave for VT, after opening my Birthday presents. I got a CD, a costume book, and two stand in presents. The stand ins' were little token presents given in place of the "real" gifts that haven't come in yet. The first is a new knitting book, and the second A SPINNING WHEEL! EEEEEEEEE! Ahem. I have to wait 6 months, but, that's ok. I still have one on the way!

After the drive, and a stop at Wolfies Restaurant in Deerfield, MA, we headed to the hotel to check in and peruse the brochures. I like brochures. We decided to drive north from Brattleboro, up RT. 5 to Bellow's Falls. Bellow's Falls was having the opening day of their Farmer's Market. I ate some Black Raspberry and Blueberry Pie, topped with maple whipped cream.

The town was down right picturesque. After the Farmer's Market, we walked around town, visiting bookstores and other shops, finally ending at a little local cafe for Dinner. They had live folk music playing, and awesome "eclectic country" decoration. Very chic, and very yummy.

Saturday: I saw on the "visit Vermont" website that the town of Jamaica was having a sheep and Wool festival on Saturday. Now, it was technically our Anniversary, so I didn't want to assume that we would go just because I wanted too. But, we did. Cause I wanted too.

The town of Jamaica is soooo cute. The whole downtown - all two blocks of it - was open and having street sales. They had music, and a maypole, and a book sale at the library. I, of course, bought some fiber for my new spinning wheel.

This farm puts pictures, and information about the sheep the wool came from. I think it's sweet. I also met the owner of Green Mountain Fibers, and bought a skein of her wool/bamboo sock yarn, and her book. The fiber sale was tiny, but so worth the scenic drive. Next we continued up the same highway to Manchester. There we enjoyed a nice lunch in another local pub. (You should start to see a theme here. We ate all local restaurants and did a lot of shopping - mostly for books and antiques. It's what we do.) Manchester is definitely quite wealthy. They had lots of big chain clothing stores and ski shops. We stuck to the little mom and pop joints. We bought some obligatory maple products, penny candy, and a souvenir spoon at a dry goods store, and then went book shopping at a bookstore that was "not to be missed" according to the NY Times. And it was an amazing bookstore. I'd shop there all the time if it was here.

The next leg of our trip took us a different way back to the hotel to change for dinner. We decided to go to Keene, New Hampshire and check out an old mill turned into a shopping center. Before we left though, we opened gifts. Somebody bought his lovely wife a strand of pearls. (grin). So off we went to Keene, dressed in nice clothes and pearls. In the mill turned shopping center, we bought a maple soda. The jury is still out on Maple Soda. We also went to an Antique store - one of those massive "200 dealers" kind. This is what I saw under a pile of other junk.

It is a Worsted Wool Winder. (It is awesome. I wound some hand spun on it last night.) I couldn't believe it still had all the parts, worked perfectly, and was in the original box. I wanted to play with it at dinner. DH talked me out of it. Speaking of dinner - we went to a microbrewery for dinner. mmm shrimp scampi and linguine. mmm chocolate mousse. mmm raspberry beer....

Sunday: We knew Sunday was going to be a slower day, as it was Sunday. Sunday in New England doesn't really afford much in the way of "open for business" options. We started with a yummy breakfast at a Vermont chain similar to Denny's called "Bickford's". Then it was off to the WEBS Tent sale. I'm going to ave the details of this part for another day. Lets just say, I had a good time. DH and I walked around Northampton, enjoying the town, and the shopping. (grin). On our way back to Brattleboro, we decided to drive a scenic route that took us through the town of Northfield. DH's Tenth great grandfather is buried in Northfield, and was one of the founders. We took a detour to see if we could find his resting place, or a founders monument. No, on both accounts, but we did live up to tradition by walking around a cemetery in the rain. It seems to be the only way we ever do it. Anyway, it was a good stop, and DH found some new stuff to research about that ancestor.

We ended the day with pizza from a local joint, a long swim in the indoor heated pool, and a sit in the sauna. I love hotels with pools.

Monday: Time to pack up and head home, but not before spending some time in Brattleboro proper! Guess what... We ate breakfast at a local coffee place. (Surprise!) Then we... shopped. (It's a theme) We went to the 15th book store of the trip. Not an exaggeration, btw. I think in this trip alone we have bought enough books for another bookshelf. We need to open a library. Anyway... They also have a cute little store called "Boomerang" that sells vintage and vintage looking clothing. I bought a perfect fitting pair of jeans for $20. I NEVER find jeans that fit well for that price. Color me amazed. We also went to another antique store. Looky what i got!

A whole collection of Casein DPNs. they even have old school sizing - and they are pretty.

And just to end the trip the way it began, we went to another restaurant we've never been to called "Longhorn's". Steaks. MMM.

More concisely, our trip went, "drive, eat, shop, eat, drive, sleep, eat, shop, eat, shop, drive, shop, eat, sleep, eat, drive, shop, drive, eat, swim, sleep, eat, drive, shop, eat, drive."

Now I need to rest. That's a big blog post!

So much yarn, so little time

I have been happily engaged in knitting a new short sleeve tee shirt. I love it.


It's "Camisa" from Knitscene Fall, 06. Needless to say, it's been in the queue for a while. Now, while I love knitting this sweater, and I hope I'm going to love wearing it, I can't help but feel like I want to knit other things. I want to knit all the other summer sweaters in my list! I want to finish a new shawl before June 4th! I want to make socks!
I don't know when I'll really do any of this!
Ah well, at least I have time to knit.
Today starts the official Annibervisday celebration. (That is, DH's b-day today, mine tomorrow, and our (11th!) Anniversary the next day.) We are headed to Vermont. We have no official plans. We will just pick a hotel, and take a look around. It should be nice and relaxing. Maybe I'll even get to do some knitting.
To tide you over until next Tuesday, I'll give you some clues to the movie quotes, still unguessed...
#2 - Starred Dan Akroyd and John Belushi
#7 - Steve Martin recently made a remake of a film from this series. It is set in France.
#8 - Sally Fields and Burt Reynolds are an odd pair
#10 -Pussy Galore is the best name EVER.


Be back next week!

Waving Hello

I was told in April that I now have a future Sister in Law. My brother, the electrician, and his long time girlfriend have gotten engaged! I really like her. She's smart, funny, and totally knit worthy. I gave her my Syncopated Hat last Christmas, and she raved about it, and wore it!

When I saw the theme list for Socktopia: May, I knew who I'd be knitting for...

Name: Waving Hello

Pattern: Waving Lace Socks from Interweave Knits Favorite Socks

Yarn: JoJoLand Melody Superwash, color ms08

Needles: Knit Picks Classic Circulars, size 1

Notes: I made these socks for the Socktopia theme, "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas", for Kate. They are my first Christmas project of the year - Head start anyone? Overall, I like them very much, and I'm sure they will get plenty of use.

The pattern is easy to follow, and I must say, prettier in person than in the book. The first sock flew by, with a nice long pattern repeat, you only have to do 3.5 for the leg. It feels like you are making progress much faster than if you were knitting a smaller repeat. (Or maybe it's just me.) The second sock was waylayed by tech, (Boo tech.) or else it could have been completed in only a few days as well.

For the record, I am a JoJoLand fan. This is the third time I've used JoJoLand yarn, and the third time I'm thrilled. I love the colors, and the changes are so nicely subtle, that they don't obscure lace patterns. The yarn is way "squishier" feeling when knit up than it is in the ball, which I think is a good thing. Also, I have yet to find a knot. I cannot tell you how happy that makes me. Nothing makes me more irritated than knots in color changing balls. I did experience some splitting with this yarn, but how many yarns really don't split at all? It wasn't any different than most sock yarn.

I opted for the lace cuff, and not the optional ribbed cuff. I hope they stay up... I also only knit 2.5 repeats on the foot, as Kate has teeny feet like me. As a matter of fat, I had to call my brother to find out what size shoes she wears, cause I had no idea. Same size as me - that makes it easy.

Now, the key is to keep on knitting presents, and not leave them all to the last minute, as I am want to do. we'll see. Oh, and these are 14 of 22 on my Y2klace kal!

I want to play too!

Here are the rules:

1. Pick 10 of your favorite movies.
2. Go to IMDb and find a quote from each movie (or get them out of your capacious memory).
3. Post them on your blog for everyone to guess.
4. Bold it when someone guesses correctly, and put who guessed it and the movie.
5. Looking them up is cheating, please don’t.
Guess away!
1. I like the smell of my hair treatment; the pleasing odor is half the point. Yay Erin! Oh Brother Where Art Thou
2.YES! YES! JESUS H. TAP-DANCING CHRIST... I HAVE SEEN THE LIGHT! Kathleen C. and JennSquared! The Blues Brothers. (My Favorite ever, btw.)
3.It's not impossible. I used to bullseye womp rats in my T-16 back home, they're not much bigger than two meters. Yay Anphoe (and Andrew) Star Wars; A New Hope
4. I wish, I wish I were a fish. WOw Matt! The Incredible Mr. Limpet
5.Ahh, a bear in his natural habitat - a Studebaker. Erin and Sunflowerfairy got this one! The Muppet Movie
6.To all my love slaves out there: Thunderlips is here. In the flesh, baby. The ultimate male versus... the ultimate meatball. Ha, ha, ha. Way to go WifeMomKnitter! Rocky III
7.You mean Douvier killed a wandering transvestite just to impress his god father?
8.For the good old American lifestyle: For the money, for the glory, and for the fun... mostly for the money. Another by Kathleen C. Smokey and the Bandit!
9.Everything. OK! I'll talk! In third grade, I cheated on my history exam. In fourth grade, I stole my uncle Max's toupee and I glued it on my face when I was Moses in my Hebrew School play. In fifth grade, I knocked my sister Edie down the stairs and I blamed it on the dog... When my mom sent me to the summer camp for fat kids and then they served lunch I got nuts and I pigged out and they kicked me out... But the worst thing I ever done - I mixed a pot of fake puke at home and then I went to this movie theater, hid the puke in my jacket, climbed up to the balcony and then, t-t-then, I made a noise like this: hua-hua-hua-huaaaaaaa - and then I dumped it over the side, all over the people in the audience. And then, this was horrible, all the people started getting sick and throwing up all over each other. I never felt so bad in my entire life. Anphoe (and Andrew) and WifeMomKnitter both got this one. Goonies
10.Now, >>>, you know a lot more about planes than guns. That's a Smith and Wesson 45, and if you fire at me at this close range, the bullet will pass through me and the fuselage like a blowtorch through butter. The cabin will depressurize, and we'll both be sucked into outer space together. If that's how you want to enter the United States, you're welcome. As for me, I prefer the easy way. Kathleen C. again! Goldfinger

Have Fun!!

A little busy, and a little tipsy

Carousel just keeps going around and around, as carousel's are want to do. Tech for this show seems never ending. Le sigh. Anyway. I did manage to find a few minutes to finish sock #1 of the new ones.

So far, I like them a lot.
I also like margaritas a lot. After we worked like crazy people today, we left work early, and went Cinco de Mayo - ing. It might make tech tomorrow less pain inducing. Or it might make it worse, due to hangover. we'll just have to see!

And now, with Warmness!

If I so desired this evening, I could go out to the store, buy some chocolaty mint candy, and eat it, all with out my hands being cold. "How?" you ask. Because I my official candy eating mitts!

Name: Andies Candies

Pattern: Endpaper Mitts, by Eunny Jang

Yarn: Filitura De Crossa Maxime (green), and Dalegarn Baby Ull (brown) - less than half a ball each

Needles: Knit Picks Fixed Circulars in size 1

Notes: I love color work, I really do. I cast on for these babies because I didn't have a project OTN for SnB. I had them in Que for quite a while, and just decided to give them a go. It's weird to me that sometimes the odd "pick-up" project is a fun diversion, and other times (as this one was) it seems like a slog and half to get through. About half way through glove #2 I had totally lost the love. I loved the way they were turning out, I just wanted to move on. You know what I mean?

But, I had a lot of time to kill on the train yesterday, and I finished them! I had taken along a ball of sock yarn *just in case* I finished the mitts. I wanted sooooo bad to ignore the mitts and cast on the socks. I didn't. I kept at it, and finished. It feels so freeing! That said, they are quite lovely, and I am sure I will get some wear out of them this fall. (incidentally, I did cast on for the socks. I'm glad I brought the second project, or would have had nothing to work on during my return trip. Tragic, just thinking about it.)

I named these "Andies Candies" because that's what the colors look like to me all knitted up together. well, and I love Andies Candies. The mitts are not with out their mistakes, but blocking makes *almost* all sins disappear. Kinda like confession for hand knits. The one mistake that glares at me isn't even noticeable by most others. It didn't bother me enough to rip back, so it' all good. Had these been for a gift, i would have ripped back. Why am I willing to wear something imperfect? I should knit perfect things for me too!

All in all, this was a successfull project, albeit a tough go of it towards the end. It was a really nice stash buster too. Since I used left overs from sock projects, I feel like I somehow "cleaned".

You know, maybe they are magic?! I'll put them on tonight, and maybe the "clean feeling" will turn into a clean house! Magic fairy mitts. I can dream, can't I?

Dart and Leaf

I have finished lace projects #12 of 21 total projects for the year (so far). It is yet another circular blanket, but this one might be my favorite, so it is therefore not repetitive.

Name: Dart and Leaf

Pattern: Egeblad by Christine Duchrow

Yarn: Farmhouse Yarns Summer Spun in Tangerine

Needles: Knit Picks Harmony Interchangeable, size 10

Notes: I found this pattern on Ravelry. It is published on the Yarn Over site. I always prefer to knit form charts when possible, as I am a visual/spatial person. Unfortunately, the charts in this pattern had some issues. I managed to sort them out, but I would have been up a creek if I had been a less experienced lace knitter with out written instructions. Notably, row 34, and the last two rows of the chart are messed up. Row 34 has an extra "knit box" - this one is easy to see if you read the written directions and compare. The last two rows of the chart are off by 4 stitches each. Row 84 says to knit 9 according to the chart, and knit 13 on the written instructions. I don't know about you, but to me, these are different numbers. The next row is the same way. The written directions are correct. Just saying.

As for changes, I did do a little. I knit the pattern on larger needles, and with bigger yarn. I also added one extra repeat of the "leafy" section - row 58-68. That extra 10 rows added about 4 inches in width to the blanket. With out the extra rows, it would have been a little small.

The bind off on this one is sweet. I am not much of a crochet person, but I do love a pretty bind off. I do wish I was a little faster with the hook, but I can't complain really.

This blanket is for a friend of mine, who will most likely know it's for her, as she occasionally reads this blog. Oh well, that's how it goes. I'm sure she'll still like it, even if it isn't a surprise. I named it Dart and Leaf after a type of molding. Dart and Leaf is a pretty traditional, but beautiful trim. This blanket, with it's leafy parts and big yo eyelets, reminds me of that molding pattern. http://www.buffaloah.com/a/DCTNRY/l/leaf.html

The recipient is graduating from a school in Massachusetts, specializing in Preservation Carpentry. She is going into a career that is all about preserving architecture and old buildings. Not only does she do things like shore up foundations, but also she carves little pieces of moulding and trim to match old pieces. Frankly, she is part artist, part carpenter. When I saw this doily pattern, I knew she would like it. I knew I wanted to knit her a blanket to take with her when she moves to Maryland, and onto a very cool new career. I wanted her to have a little hug, in a nice cheery color, that would remind her of how proud I am of her achievements. I also wanted it to have some significance to her chosen field. I think I managed it pretty well.

I also look at my gift to my friend as a promise to see each other in the future. When I was in Grad school, she was an undergrad at the same University. She graduated and moved away to do stuff. We hadn't been close, but we had been friendly. I didn't really know where she went. Fast forward 5 years. I get hired at LWT. I researched the organization. I noticed a name on the website that I knew. Was it her? Turns out - same person! I had a built in connection to LWT. Now, as my friend heads off in yet another directions, I have no doubt we will cross paths again. Sometime...

Weekend O' Yarnin'

There have been a lot of goings on at casa de Costumechick! I have so so much to tell. I almost don't know where to start! Therefore, we're going chronologically.

Friday Night was full of blanket knitting. I had intended on knitting the next clue in the mystery shawl I was working on. Why "was"? Well, the designer, after offering the first clue for free, after people bought yarn, swatched - so they can't return said yarn, and after giving a, frankly, lame excuse, cancelled the KAL and offered to sell us the pattern. WTH? Seriously. Did you not know what you were getting in to? I, thankfully, used stash yarn, so I wasn't out anything except an evening of knitting time. It just smacks o' shittyness. Anyway, I understand that life gets in the way. I also understand that these types of things have a way of getting out of hand. I don't understand the "you can buy it" part. Just cancel the thing - or suspend it until you can deal, or get some other nice people to help you moderate and answer questions. I'm not saying the designer did it on purpose, I just think it feels... wrong.

Anyway, it was a rough beginning to the weekend, but I did get a lot finished on the blanket.

Saturday, was a lot better. CT Sheep and Wool!!!! I went up really early. This, like, never happens. DH and I try to go early to things. We hardly ever actually do. For some reason, we did it! DH wanted to get his geek on at the mall. They were selling a limited edition, one time only, 25th Anniversary miniature at Games Workshop. So, we left butt ass early, and ate breakfast in Manchester. He went to the Mall, I went to CTSW. I was there at 9am. I love the CTSW festival. It's small and cosy. I walked around the whole thing three times before the other SnBers got there. I had to pace myself, lest I be out of money before the others even set foot on the grounds!

I did good, though. I didn't really have anything I was looking for, specifically. I was impulse shopping. This is what I came away with:

It isn't too much. (Don't feel bad. I make up for it Sunday) I picked up, one skein of Dye Dreams Twinkle Toes in Mink (Merino Tencel), one shawl pin, one wheel of Pencil Roving - undyed, and one 1960's Men's pattern book. The Roving is for thrummed mittens. I plan on making them for Christmas Presents, and I can dye the roving different colors for different people. Smarty smart.

We followed up the whole experience by going to Red Robin. (Yuummm) Poor Curtis. Our waiter did not know what he was in for with us SnBers.

Sunday was another knitting super event. The Yarn Harlot at WEBS. I probably don't need to even say anything else. It was a yarn pilgrimage. I rode with Jennsquared and Archaknist. We had Ice cream for lunch. (smirk) Then we listened to the Harlot.

I am not a "Harloteer", per se. I enjoy her books, occasionally read her blog, but I don't go crazy for her. Celebrity doesn't impress me much. She seems really cool,and I'd probably like her in real life. That said, I did enjoy her talk a lot. As did the other couple thousand people there. (see how far away we were? We ween't even the whole way in the back, AND there was a MEzz level above us!)

You know someone is a big deal when you have to rent a theatre for a book tour. Oh, and While listening, I finished my newest blanket! Pics tomorrow! After the door prizes, the talk and the laughing, all zillion knitters descended upon WEBS. Seriously. They said they would stay open until the last knitter left. I kinda wanted to move in, just to test their resolve. I decided to shop amidst the insanity. I have to say, I hate crowds. I sucked it up though, as not only were the April Anniversary Yarns still on sale, there were special Yarn Harlot Deals to be had.

This sampling was hard won. It was kind of Like Rhinebeck in there. If you put it down, then tried to come back for it, it probably wasn't going to be there. I had a list in hand, and found my list stuff ASAP. Then I looked at everything else. My list yarns were 7 skeins of Bristol Yarn Gallery Lyndon Hill (the blue) and 8 skeins of Ella Rae Bamboo Silk (The thin purple). Summer tops await! The Cascade Eco+ is for an undetermined sweater, but at the $10 sale Price, I couldn't turn it down. The other weird knitted thing is called "Flat Feet", by Conjoined creations. Basically, they hand paint sock yarn that is already knitted. You knit your socks straight from the flat piece. No need to wind! The sock yarn was 25% off because of the YH. All in all, pretty good. I stayed in my budget, and picked up a few extras.

After we finished at WEBS, (a long while later, btw), we had to eat something. Evidently, ice cream is not enough meal to make it through the day. We stopped at Chile's, and in a yarn fume induced state, consumed giant amounts of food. All is good in the world.

new yarn at knitpicks

Looky!

knitpicks

I'm in love!!!

Commitment

We make a lot of commitments in life. There are some we choose to make - like partners, jobs, and volunteer activities. Others, we just accept with out thinking about them - like how car maintenance goes along with owning a car, or having a pet means caring for a pet. (I admit to being rather lax about the car thing, but that's another post entirely.) I got thinking about his topic on the way to work today. DH and I wear talking about recycling. He said he had trouble taking it seriously ever since he saw the garbage truck come one day and dump the recycle cans right on top of the dumpster stuff and mash it all together. What's the point? Why do we sort it just so the town can unsort it?

Obviously, not every community runs as ass backwards as ours, but he did raise a good question. we read in labels all the time, "50% post consumer recycled" and such. How much really gets recycled? Is the amount of recycled content in packaging and re purposing helping the environment in a real way? Lets say we compare the office paper produced today with that produced 20 years ago. If 50% of it is recycled material, then it would go to reason that we have at least "maintained" the number of trees cut down for office paper. We may not cut down less, but we have at least not cut down more than we did before. (I don't know if this is true - I'm just thinking in typing. ) These are the kinds of questions we talked about.

I suppose what I am saying is that I don't know how much I actually help the environment. But what I do can't hurt, right? I use fabric bags at the store - or ask for "no bag" if I am only buying one thing. We use energy efficient bulbs. I don't drive a gas guzzler. We keep our thermostat low in the winter, and don't use the air in the summer, if at all possible. Neither of us take long showers. We turn off the water while brushing our teeth. We do laundry and dish loads only when we have full ones. Everyone can do more, but every thing is something. So, this Earth Day, I'm going to continue to muse over the word "commitment" and what it means to me, my future, and future generations.

What does this have to do with knitting? Good question, considering I can't seem to make a commitment to any one project. The Endpaper mitts are rolling along. I am almost through the arm of #2. Last night I got all kinds of itchy to wind up the yarn for another blanket. Then I couldn't keep from casting on. "I'll only do a little, just to get it started." Famous last words.

Technically, I did only do 35 rows, so it wasn't too much. The thing is, if I could have a made a commitment to the mitts, I could have gotten through the thumb increases. The Mitts could be finished by Wednesday. Instead, they'll feel all neglected because I'm working on something else. Knitter's Guilt.

Hannah

I forgot how much longer it takes cotton to dry than wool. Sheesh! I blocked this blanket early this morning, and it is still noticeably damp. Like, "you were sitting in the park on the grass watching a concert, and it had rained yesterday, and today the humidity is 75%, but you weren't missing the free Devo concert" damp. All of the silk/wool ones I have done were dry by the afternoon. I guess I got spoiled.

This lovely blanket is to be a gift for the new Baby, named Hannah, and her Mommy, Crystal. Hannah was a big surprise for her Mommy, and she is in need of all the love we can send her. I think this will be a nice warm hug for the two of them to cuddle up in.

Name: Hannah

Pattern: Cobweb Doily by Marilyn van Keppel, from Gathering of Lace

Yarn: Farmhouse Yarns Cotton Blossom in Marigold

Needles: Knit Picks Options, size 10.5

Notes: This circular blanket is the newest addition to the series I seem to be stuck in. This is probably the only one I am going to do in cotton, as my hands were ready to fall off by the end. The upside to the cotton blossom is the softness and relative lack of "need" to block.

The edges were a little curly before I blocked, but not too much. That means the blanket should look good, with out blocking to dry. (Like a new, first time mom is going to block something! ha!) I did like working with the yarn, despite the lack of stretch one associates with cotton. The Rayon gives it a nice drape, and just a little sparkle now and again. It wasn't splitty, or sheddy. It didn't stain my hands as I worked with it. Over all, very nice.

Like I said before, I pulled this yarn out of my stash. I picked it up at one of the infamous Farmhouse Yarns "Fill a bag" sales. I intended on making a baby blanket with it. I was a pretty "green" knitter back then, and I didn't always estimate (correctly) the amount of yarn I needed for any given future project. I was especially bad when it came to guessing how much yardage I had in an unmarked skein. I picked up these four unmarked balls of yellowy yarn and put them in my bag. Flash forward two and a half years. I wound them up. Now, my knitter sense was tingling. I KNEW I didn't have enough yarn. I has three balls the size of tangerines, and one ball the size of a grapefruit. I cast on any way. I should add here, the three little balls were decidedly lighter in color than the bigger ball. I used the small ones first, figuring that the darker color around the outside would be nice. At least that was a good guess, on my part.

Anyway, I used up the third tangerine size ball, and was only to the last section of chart. I crossed my fingers. It did no good. I still had to go buy another skein. Oh well. This, by the way, was a really long way of explaining that I have no idea how much yarn I actually used to make this blanket. Three tangerines, a grapefruit, and a navel orange? What's that? 700 yards? I do like the color though. It looks like cheese poof dust, and I like me the fake cheese dust.

As far as lace goes, this is a pretty simple pattern, although Gathering of Lace does take for granted that you already know certain "knitter things". Like, chart reading, lace cast-offs, and circular cast-ons. The end result is quite smashing, if I do say so myself. But, It was a bit tricky to block. Since my table is a little shy of 4' across, I have been folding these blankets in half to block them. Line up all the points, all symmetrical, and such. This is not easy to do with a blanket with 7 sections and three points in each section. It ended up looking like this:

I didn't measure by the end. I just guessed. What the heck? The whole project was a blind leap of faith anyway. Why should the blocking be any different?

Come to think of it, Crystal made a big blind leap of faith in her life to bring Hannah about. I guess it's kinda fitting that I made a knitting one too, just fer her. (smile)

Beach knitting

I know it is not quite beach weather yet. One day, that almost makes it to 80f, does not equate beach going to normal people. I, on the other hand am not normal. So, I went to the beach. Let me back up.

On Saturday, I bit the bullet and decided to go and purchase a skein of yarn to finish my Hannah blanket. Turns out, Carol's store was having a sale. The yarn I needed was just about the only thing not on sale. I bought it anyway - and only it. (I'm saving myself for the CT Sheep and Wool next weekend.) The DH and I traveled to New London so he could get his geek on. Saturday was glorious out. We drove with the windows open, and with the air on when we had to roll them up. Soooo nice. On the way home, we decided we needed to go to the beach.

I keep my shovel in the car all winter. You never know when you'll need it. In the summer I keep the beach chairs in the car. Likewise, you never know when you night happen upon the beach. I might be the only person with this opion of beach chairs, but, as I said earlier, I'm not normal. Saturday was the official "switching of the trunk". Now, I'm not a total loon, I knew it would be a tad more "brisk" by the water. We wore long pants and flip flops.

It was nice to see we weren't the only people insane enough to go to the beach in April in Connecticut. Plenty of others were out in the sand. DH read, I knit away on the baby blanket. We sat until we started to freeze from the wind. If we would have worn sweaters, we could have toughed out a bit longer. As it was, we only lasted about an hour. You know it's cold when DH is too cold to continue. (I was using him as a windshield, so I could have lasted longer if I tried.) But, I can say we went, even if it was for a brief time.

After thawing out, I finished up the Hannah blanket. Pictures tomorrow, after I block it. It is really quite cute. I hope Mom likes it!

I also worked on this:

These are my version of the infamous Endpaper Mitts by Euny Jang. I think the colors look like Andies Candies. Every time I work on them I feel like eating chocolate mints. I might need to go to the store....

My alter ego

I know that you all know I am a super villi, er, ah... Hero. And you know that I am a costumer by day. But, did you know that by night my secret identity is a rockstar?! I bet you didn't !

Yep. Somewhere deep down inside, I am, and have always been, a rockstar. I just hadn't made the shirt to prove it.

Until now...

Name: Rockstar

Pattern: Yarn Over Steek Vest from Loop de Loop

Yarn: Gedifra Shanina, 4 balls

Needles: Knit Picks Options, size 15

Notes: This was a very quick knit. I did it in one day. Now, if I had been at work on Wednesday, I couldn't have finished it in one day, but laying on the couch allows for quite a lot of knitting time. Bonus- it only took 4 balls of yarn.

The pattern is almost so easy that you have to concentrate on it to keep from making it harder than required. I would say though, if you plan to make this shirt, and you have breasts larger than a B cup, you want to add length. I added two inches in the ribbing, and it just comes to my belly button. Granted, the pattern has amazing Plastic Man like qualities (It stretches a lot - for all you non superhero geeks), but as it stretches out, it gets shorter. You all know what I mean. You all have done it. Anyway, I could have added another 2" easy. I like the end result, but I would mind it longer.

The coolest thing about the pattern is the "steek". It's created by doing yo's in the center, then dropping them when you come to them the next round. As you go up the shirt, you yo more times in the center, making a longer string across the "steek". That's it. That's the "magic".

I'd like to take this time to point out that Rockstars wear a lot of black. Like 70% of my clothes are black or grey. Oddly, I don't knit a lot in black. I now remember why. Cat hair. That's all I'm saying.

Lastly, how about a preview look at a shot from my next album, "2000 square foot closet"?

What's going on?

Why haven't I posted? Well, for many reasons, but the biggest reason is because I was on the couch for a few days dealing with more kidney crapola. Fun times! I'm all good now, back at work, and slacking off. (grin) Therefore, I have a big ole' post.

Sunday I cast on for a blanket. Yes, another doily blanket. I'm calling it "Hannah", after the baby set to receive it.

It is based on the "Cobweb Doily" from Gathering of Lace. I'm using Farmhouse Yarns Cotton Blossom in "Marigold". On Monday night I got the the edging and...promptly ran out of yarn. Sigh. The yarn was from one of the sales up at Farmhouse Yarns, and of course, were not marked skeins, so I had no idea of yardage. Just went blindly into the process, and now am paying the price. I'm so close to finished with it, yet so very far away. Hopefully, I can find some yarn to finish it up soon, you know, before the baby is walking.

On Tuesday I had my Kidney crapola, and was a leetle high on codeine. I knew from experience that I was going to need an easy project to work on. (Preferably one that I could fall asleep during and know right were I was when I woke up.) So, I used some random stash yarn and cast on a hat. I had no particular pattern in mind, but this is what came out:

I'm naming it "Melodies" because I watched Merry melodies and Loony Tunes cartoons all day long while napping, knitting, and recovering. This is one of those hats that you could knit in an evening if you wanted too. It took me all day. I knit a lot slower while altered.

Name: Melodies

Yarn: Farmhouse Single Ply Worsted in Turquoise

Needles: Knit Picks Interchangeable 10.5

Notes: umm. It's a basic hat. 68 stitches, k2p2 ribbing with a cable running up the ribbing in one spot. I decreased kinda randomly in an effort to keep the cable nice for as long as possible. It's really stretchy. I know this because it fits both me, with my itty bitty head, and DH with his ginormous tet. (the french for "head", yo.)

Thenyesterday I needed yet another project. I didn't really have a plan. SO, I organized my needles. Lalala. I decided in a random fit of "costumechickness" to cast on for the "Yarn Over Steek Vest" from Loop de Loop.

Yeah. I finished it. In one day. I even added length. Now, I did not sew up the shoulders or weave in the ends. I like to wash it before I do that. But, I could have. I had the time. Tomorrow there will be pictures of the finished product.

But, you know what that means. No project for SnB! Tonight! Crappers! I will weave in end and sew shoulders tonight. Then I'll..... cast on for Endpaper Mitts! Leftovers rock.

Don't you feel better now that you know what's going on?

Raindrops...

...keep falling on my heeeaaaddd. But thats not duh duh duh duh DAH! Cryings not for me! SO, duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh daaaaaa... SO I just hmmmmmmmmm.

So sue me. I don't know the lyrics. But, I do know the socks!

Name: Raindrops

Pattern: Vertical Eyelets by Charlene Schurch, from MSKS

Yarn: Farmhouse Yarns, Fannie's Fingering Weight, in Olive

Needles: Knitpicks Classic Circs in size 0 and 1

Notes: I knit these lovelies using my standard tow up method, inserting Ms. Schurch's Vertical eyelets pattern on the instep and front leg of the sock. I decided to rib the back leg just for fun. I roll like that.

There isn't too much to say about the pattern, as the More Sensational knitted Socks book allows the knitter to cut and paste all over the sock to get "just the right sock" for her/him. I did gat bored with these socks before I ever even made it past sock 1. I mean BORED. I had to bribe myself with casting on something else as soon as I finished them, just to get through the last half of leg 2. It was quite the slog, but worth it I think.

The yarn is very nice. It is a little thicker than sock yarn I am used to, but the end result is so cushy and squishy, it just leaves me drooling. As with all hand painted yarn, the socks didn't come out exactly the same, as sock #2 has more of the green color in it, but I don't care. I like them this way.

I knit these for April Socktopia Socks, in the category of "April Showers". I think the vertical rows of eyelets look like raindrops falling down the outside of the window. The colorway reminds me of the view from my car when I drive beside the beach in April. I long for the warm temperatures of May and June so I can sit in the sand and enjoy the sun. Instead, I look at the blues, yellows and greens through rain running down my windshield, and dream....

(Am I the only one that smells her sun block in the winter and late spring just to feel like summer is coming?)

Overall, I am very pleased with these socks, but I will not be knitting them again! Oh, and for the record, they are lace project #9 out of 17 for my Year of Lace.

costumechick procrastinates, again

Have I been procrastinating about updating my blog? Yup. You bet. I've slowed my knitting progress down a bit, and I feel like I have nothing to show. Also, I have been tagged in a meme that I cannot wrap my head around. It is coming, but not yet.

What little knitting progress that has been made is on my new Socktopia Socks for April. I'm calling them "Raindrops".

Part of the reason for the slow down is because I am a little bored with them. I like them though, so I will press onward.

Up next on the "to knit" list is two more circular blankets. One for a baby and one for a friend. The baby is due at any moment, but I didn't find out until last week. There was questions about if she was going to keep the baby, or put her up for adoption. She has decided to keep her, and name her Hannah - so blanket knitting must ensue! I was going to halt the Raindrops to knit the blankets, but I'm a little worried that I'll forget what I did on sock 1. You see, in my stellar world or "good planning" and "forward thinking", it is not necessary to write things down. You just magically remember. (roll eyes)

Zippery, yo.

I did it! I finished my sweater! Not only did I weave in all the ends, basted the zipper in place, stitched down the drawstring casing, and threaded the drawstring through, I also ACTUALLY stitched the zipper in place by machine! I am usually a supremely lazy person when it comes to such things. I wear things without ever sewing on the buttons - and heaven forbid a button falls off. I'll never sew on a replacement. It is not unusual to hear a similar conversation to the following in my house:
DH: "I have a hole in my shirt."
ME: "hmm."
DH: "If only I knew someone that could sew."
ME: "If only."
I sew for a living. Sewing for pleasure is not really my "thing". I don't hem pants, I don't sew on buttons, and it is a cold day in Hell before I iron. This is why it is amazing that I actually did the finishing on my Zippery. Damn amazing.


Name: Zippery
Pattern: Knitting Pure and Simple Bulky Neck Down Cardigan for Women #252
Yarn: Cascade Ecological Wool, color 8025, 2 skeins
Needles: Knit Picks Options size 10.5 and 9
Notes: I knit it in a week! And I finished it the next day! I'm actually quite astounded with myself. Did ya' guess?
First, let me say, i love this yarn. It is not merino soft, but I am not a sensitive skinned person, and a little scratch is fine by me. Working with it is wonderful. Th yarn grabs onto your fingers as you work with it - no slipping and sliding away. The grab is also nice because it helps make beautiful even stitches. The wool itself is a gorgeous blend of natural colors, spun into a color that is mystifying to me. In some light it looks dark grey, and in others, it has a dark brown quality. There is a hidden Costumechick Bonus to this yarn too.



See the white fibers sticking out every now and then? These are handy fibers Cascade put in just for me. They are kitten hair camoflage.
Cascade Eco wool is also processed in a minimal way, so it is very "natural" (sheepy). It smells like wool, if you know what I mean. I like that a lot. The minimal processing helps lower the environmental impact of the yarn. Also, it comes in very generous hanks. It took me two hanks to knit this sweater - with some left overs. Of course I got scared when I started the sweater and ran to the store for one more. Oh well. I love the yarn, so have another 400+ yards to work with is not a bad thing.
As for the pattern, I'm in love. I have not knit a Knitting Pure and Simple pattern I haven't liked. They are the penultimate in adaptable easy knits with minimal finishing. I only had 6 ends to weave in at the end of this process, and no seaming! Be still my heart. Also, I'd like to point out that this sweater fits, without any crazy recalculating, modifying, or general fussing. It's nice when that happens for once.


I know you are wondering how his sheepy smelling, fuzzy sweater could possibly warrant the blog post title "Zippery, yo." Well, my gangsta sistas, it's because it is a hoody. I used my mad kitchna skillz to sew up this hoody, yo. And I'm sending a shout out to my SnB homies that wanted to know what twill tape wuz . This is twill tape:



It's cotton, woven twill style, and it's made thin width wise - like tape. Usually you use it to stabilize seams and such, but I'm using it for a fly hoody drawstring.


Now lets give it up for Costumechick and her mad skills!
Represent, Bitches!

(I totally cropped this picture, but it's not showing up cropped on my blog. WTH!?)