Kangaeru

How to make a tag blanket, part two.

2009-12-01T16:51:00.000-08:00

So, we left off - several months ago - with your ribbons sewn onto a piece of fabric. Next, get your other piece of fabric and pin them, right sides together. Sew around the edge, leaving a small opening for turning it right side out. Turn right side out.
Next, tuck under the edges of your opening and stitch that closed. Sew another seam (I think it's topstitching?) all around the edges, about 1/4" in. As you come to each ribbon, pull it out a little if you're using thick fabric like fleece; this helps it lay flat.

Ta da! There's your finished tag blanket.

Raffle of sorts

2009-05-22T14:03:00.000-07:00

This is yarn from The Knittery (I couldn't find a link), handpainted in turquoise, purple, and a touch of green. It is a 3.5 ounce skein with approximately 490 yards, 100% merino.

To enter to win this yarn, donate any amount to the Noah Henderson Tay-Sachs Foundation and send me an e-mail at MitoRocks AT juno DOT com letting me know that you donated (no need to specify dollar amount) OR you can link to this post on your blog and let me know. If you link to this AND donate you'll get two entries. In about three weeks (June 12) I'll put all the names together and draw a winner.

Don't like this particular yarn? Check back because I plan to raffle off something different in a few weeks!

How to make a tag blanket, part one.

2009-05-12T09:33:00.000-07:00

Supplies:
Fabric (as much as you want; the blanket can be as big or as small as you like)
Ribbons (DO NOT use wired ribbon unless you carefully remove all the wires first)
Thread (matching or contrasting, as you like)

Wash your fabric. Cut ribbon into 4"-6" lengths, fold in half lengthwise, right side out, and iron to set the crease in each ribbon. You will now have a nice little pile that looks like this:
Next, pin the ribbons to the right side of your fabric like this:

I like to put them an inch or so apart. Next step: sew the ribbons on, using a narrow seam allowance.
Part two, coming soon.

Eris, at last.

2009-04-25T20:07:00.001-07:00

I finally got the zipper in a couple of months ago, but just haven't gotten around to blogging a finished photo until now. It is just a touch too long, which is totally my fault because I thought it wouldn't be long enough so I added two inches. I also just did a plain hem on the cuffs instead of the ribbing to match what goes around the bottom hem.

This is a great, comfortable, warm sweater that I wear all the time. The pattern was very well written and easy to follow and I'd have no problem knitting it again.

Amazing hair bows

2009-03-04T16:51:00.000-08:00

Check out these incredibly cute hair bows from Cotton Kami Bows. What a great idea for party favors!

Aromatherapy is so relaxing.

2009-01-29T18:39:00.000-08:00

Except when it includes explosions.

Funny comic

2009-01-14T18:03:00.000-08:00

My Esteemed Papa clipped out this comic strip and sent it to me. I think it's great.

More than you're probably interested in.

2009-01-13T14:09:00.000-08:00

I found this on Holly's and The Krunchy Krab's blogs.

Bold indicates experiences I have had; italics indicate experiences I would like to have; regular font indicates experiences that are not on my life to-do list.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world (Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland)
8. Climbed a mountain (Mount Fuji)
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch (mostly)
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train (I almost died while I was sleeping on the train, too. I was about 2-3 years old and had a headfirst fall from the top bunk; my mother had woken up for "no reason" a few seconds earlier and sat up. She caught me just before I hit something very hard - the sink, maybe?)
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping (I'm counting the public baths in Japan. It's close enough.)
27. Run a marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language (not exactly myself, but I think I've picked up enough to count)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching (when I was little; I don't think we actually saw any whales)
63. Gotten flowers for no reason (as in having someone get them for me for no reason; I have bought flowers for myself for no reason)
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi concentration camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy (I can't think of one but I'm sure I have)
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job ("let go")
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper (I'm counting a magazine here. Might have had my picture in the local paper years ago, but I'm not sure. My picture is in an old, old issue of Spin Off magazine. Like 15 years ago old.)
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House (I've seen it from the outside)
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (Watched my dad kill and prepare chickens quite often when I was a kid.)
88. Had chickenpox (Three times. And yes, you are only supposed to get it once.)
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous (I saw the emperor of Japan through bullet-proof glass. Oh! I just remembered, I once met Myra Cohn Livingston.)
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee (I wanted to be stung for years before I actually was)

Inexperienced criminals...

2008-12-31T22:41:00.000-08:00

...do things like this.

Ah, Christmas.

2008-12-30T07:15:00.000-08:00

If you would like to read about our a-little-more-exciting-than-we-wanted-it-to-be Christmas morning, it's here on my husband's blog.

I love my garbage collector.

2008-12-29T13:42:00.000-08:00

I'm sure there's a more PC name for a garbage man (waste management technician?), but I don't care. Our trash is normally picked up twice a week, but due to the ice there haven't been any dumpster-emptyings for just over two weeks. It really did not help at all that Christmas Day fell during that two-week time period. There was a pile of bags at least as big as the 4-cubic yard dumpster right in front of it. Not to mention the five bags or so we had in the house, waiting to go out as soon as we could get within 20 feet of the actual dumpster.

The garbage truck came today. The dumpster was emptied, refilled, and emptied again. Lots of full trash bags are now out of my house and awaiting the next pick up on Friday. Hallelujah!

Now I'm just waiting for the recycle truck so I can be rid of my small mountain of empty boxes and milk jugs.

Eris, sans zipper

2008-12-22T19:44:00.000-08:00

All done except for the zipper! And since I haven't yet bought a zipper, and since we are snowed in, I am considering it to be done. Once I buy a zipper it will go back to an "undone" status.

Just a thought.

2008-12-05T16:27:00.001-08:00

I cannot wait for the days to start getting longer. 3:30 is just way too early to have to turn on the lights.

Eris: Not Quite

2008-12-05T16:12:00.000-08:00

So here is a photo of Eris on the night of November 30. As you can see, I finished the body on November but not the sleeves. Even though my goal was to finish before December, I am still really happy with how much I accomplished.

Eris, divided.

2008-11-21T13:32:00.000-08:00

Just divided the body and sleeve sections. It looks a touch small but I tried it on and it seems okay; I think that if it does turn out a tiny bit small I can probably block it bigger.

Eris, take two.

2008-11-19T14:23:00.001-08:00

So after several days, a lot of chocolate, and a little bit of alcohol, I finally felt (mostly) not upset about my mistake and was able to re-start Eris. Here is the collar, half done and with the stitches picked up to start the second half.

Irritated as I am, I really am glad that I re-knit this. The first try had several small mistakes that bugged me but not enough to make me rip it and start again. Once I discovered I'd used the wrong gauge, though, I obviously had to re-do the thing. This time around I was more familiar with both the chart symbols and how it looked on the needles, so I caught mistakes right away and could fix them.

I'm much happier with this collar.

What goes up must come down.

2008-11-04T13:18:00.000-08:00

So apparently November is National Just About Everything Month (Write a Novel, Blog Every Day, Knit a Sweater, etcetera). I have had the yarn for a few sweaters for several months now and so I decided to take the plunge and make a sweater this month. Right from the start there were problems. I didn't have enough of such-and-such yarn to do that project, that sweater wouldn't look good in that color, and so forth. After doing some gauge swatches, I settled on making Rogue. I got perfect gauge and even though I didn't have quite enough yarn, I was able to order more - in the same dyelot, even! - until disaster struck. It wouldn't print. Now, we don't have a printer so any printing jobs include copying files, traveling to the library, checking out a computer, printing files, and returning home. Since I was at the library, there was nothing I could do except retry to print the same thing that I had. Not happening. I must have done something to mess the pattern up when copying it. Plan B. (Well, C, actually, because I was planning on making a Hand-to-Hand Aran [Ravelry link, you have to sign up] until I decided I didn't like that yarn worked up at that gauge.) I was able to print the pattern for Eris, and I had good yarn for it that worked up to gauge. The collar went beautifully. I adore the complex cables. So other than several mistakes, doesn't it look great?

I picked up all the stitches around the edge (one of my least favorite knitting jobs) to start the body of the sweater. I read ahead in the pattern to make sure I knew what I was doing. Everything was clear except there were no specific instructions for the raglan increases, so I checked to see if they were supposed to be done a certain way. Lo and behold, I discovered that I had been working the perfect gauge for the BODY portion of the sweater all the way through my lovely collar.

My knitting will be in time-out until I have eaten enough chocolate to get over this.

Free barrette holder pattern

2008-10-30T13:24:00.000-07:00

I had one of these barrette holders when I was young and I may someday make one for my daughters. I thought I'd post it in case anyone else was interested - barrettes are not the easiest things to store neatly.

Playhouse

2008-10-28T13:49:00.000-07:00

These are just the cutest playhouses ever. I wish we had a card table.

Slippers

2008-08-25T16:47:00.000-07:00

The slippers turned out well and were well received. They did turn out to be the right size to fit the recipient in about three years, but you can't get everything right.

Sobering news

2008-08-09T13:58:00.000-07:00

I just found out that my friend Amanda's little boy, Noah, was diagnosed with Tay-Sachs, a fatal genetic disorder. Please pray for him and his family. They are missionaries in Mexico City. If you are able and willing to donate toward some of his medical expenses, you can find more information here.

Knitting by the seat of my pants

2008-08-08T22:12:00.000-07:00

Scene: The girls are napping. We have a birthday party to attend in less than 24 hours, and I haven't come up with a gift idea that I like. I am suddenly seized with knitterly inspiration.

No pattern.

No gauge swatch.

The exact size of the recipient is unknown to me.

I cast on anyway.

12 hours before the party, and I have this:

They're fulling in the washer while I have my fingers crossed. Update tomorrow. (Assuming I remember to post; I've been forgetting every little thing this past month.)

How cool are you?

2008-08-07T23:17:00.000-07:00

Do you ever wonder how popular you are? Do you ever wonder if your internet friends are real people? Is that rental house on Craigslist the real deal or does someone in Nigeria just want you to wire them money?

Find out on Divvs, the site that gives you online credibility but without revealing personal details. Go sign up!

March, march, march.

2008-06-23T13:51:00.000-07:00

Have any of you seen the Algorithm March? I was mystified until I watched this video. Now I get it.

Sort of.

Let's Cooking!

2008-06-10T20:14:00.000-07:00

So anyway, I ran across this song today and found it absolutely hilarious. Even if you don't speak Japanese, you can kinda tell what they're saying: something along the lines of "the four pork product friends", "we sound so yummy", and my personal favorite, "discover the fun of ham."

You'll never look at pig meat the same again.

Sorry about that.

2008-06-10T20:08:00.001-07:00

I just haven't felt much like blogging lately. Rest assured that I am still here, though probably most of my readers have given up on me by now. :-)

Vote early, vote often

2008-04-17T19:33:00.000-07:00

So I have an entry in The Loopy Ewe's Q1-08 challenge, which was to knit something you've never knit before or try a new technique. Go look through the gallery and vote for your favourite by sending an e-mail to susanATtheloopyeweDOTcom!

(Should I tell you which entry to vote for? Well, I could, but I feel like that would be cheating.)

Montholutions

2008-04-10T13:34:00.000-07:00

So I didn't get the bedroom completely organized, but it's much better than it was. I cleaned out a boatload of dust (far more than I imagined there was) and got rid of several things that have been lingering around.

So now for April. I have a couple of goals: to get back in the habit of flossing and massaging my gums most nights, and to exercise three times a week.

No photos today because I'm too lazy.

The Domestic Demi-Goddess

2008-02-22T11:49:00.001-08:00

So I have been baking my way through How to be a Domestic Goddess* by Nigella Lawson. I don't believe I've mentioned it before, because even my husband claims that I never told him before last night.

Last night it was the Butterscotch Layer Cake's turn, and it turned out okay. It looked beautiful (much more so before I cut it, but I had already started cutting when Bob said "You should take a picture! You should blog this!") but the flavors just didn't do it for me. It sounded so yummy, with caramel, cream cheese icing, and the batter for the cake - yes, I always taste it before I bake it - was absolutely delicious. Somehow when it was assembled it seemed like the flavors were all competing instead of complementing each other.** I do think that the recipe has great potential, and with a bit of tinkering I'm sure I could come up with a version that is more suited to my tastes. However, I don't think that I will take the time to do that, because the next cake on the list is Boston Cream Pie... mmm. Creamy is my texture of choice.

Anyone want to come over for a piece of butterscotch cake?

*My favorite book title of all time. I wish I'd thought of it first.

**A disclaimer, should Mrs. Lawson ever happen to read this post (which I seriously doubt): I am not saying that you wrote a terrible recipe, but simply that we have different tastes. At least this time. I like lots of your other recipes.

I'm a taco.

2008-02-14T09:45:00.000-08:00

What's your Q-dentity?

Quote

2008-02-06T11:43:00.000-08:00

"If we expect to enjoy our life, we will have to learn to be joyful in all of it, not just at stated intervals when we can get time or when we have nothing else to do."

-Laura Ingalls Wilder

Montholutions

2008-02-05T11:03:00.000-08:00

Yes, I know that's not really a word.

Last year I made two resolutions: To pay off our car loan and to make six pairs of socks. And, for the first time ever, I achieved both my goals. (At least, I finished on January 2nd, which was close enough for me.)

There are so many things I want to do that I have decided to try "montholutions" - changing one thing per month, in hopes that by the end of the month it will have become habit so I'll continue doing it as I work on my new goal.

Yes, it's a bit late, but I've been debating over what I should resolve for February. Lowering our electric bill? Finishing some long-deserted project? Giving my bedroom a serious organizing?

I think that I will go with the organizing. It's something I really need to do, I've been motivated to work on it lately, and I decided to start with my bedroom because of something my friend Holly once said. I can't quote her exactly, but it was something along the lines of "One's bedroom should be a restful place, a peaceful refuge within the home." I sleep fine in my bedroom, but lately it has become more and more difficult to find things I need and to walk through the room in the dark. I'm embarrassed for anyone to come in and see the mess, and, most of all, for the past couple of months I get a sore throat if I don't close the closet door at night. I think that calls for some serious dustbusting.

Think how pleasant it will be for me to sit and knit in my newly reorganized bedroom!

Lotsa stuff

2008-02-02T09:10:00.001-08:00

Hi! I have, um, a lot to blog about since I've been playing hooky for a while.

Here's a sock:

You'll just have to trust me that there's a finished pair. I made these pretty long, about 10" from cuff to top of heel flap, and finished with enough yarn that I could have made them an inch or two longer. It still amazes me that plain old yarn can turn into socks. Every time.

I have begun attending a monthly knit night that meets at the home of a friend. Most of the women who come are brand-new knitters, but last week there was a woman who had been spinning and knitting for several years and it was really nice to discuss various techniques with her. Since she has eight years of spinning experience, I told her that I wanted to start spinning again and asked her opinion of wheel brands. She happened to have an extra (broken) wheel that she offered to give me! Yes. Yes, I'll take it.

It's an unfinished Ashford Traditional. The conrod joint is broken and it's missing a tension rod and one of the flyer hooks (a couple of owners ago it sat in a garage for several years, can you tell?), but those will be easy to replace. I've been considering converting it so I can spin left-handed - the way I learned - but that would be a major undertaking so far as I have figured it. But I don't want to have to re-learn to spin right-handed. I'll keep cogitating on it and perhaps I'll come up with an easier solution.

A pair of wrist warmers. These are knit from Urban GypZ Twisted in Rainy Day Blues. I copied Kimberly's but I can't find the specific post to link to. These took just over half a skein; I think I might attempt a matching hat with the leftover yarn. I'm quite pleased with them and they are going to the gift basket.

Finished Carousel socks. The yarn is Claudia's Handpainted fingering in Carousel (that color is now discontinued). The pattern is Yarrow Ribbed Socks from Knitting Vintage Socks. The yarn is pretty but it doesn't feel like it will hold up terribly well, and I think I could have chosen a pattern more suited to the yarn.

Lastly, some anklets in Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport. I believe the color is turquoise, and the pair took less than one skein. These are a gift and have been posted to the intended recipient.

Turn the lights way, way down

2007-12-10T12:43:00.001-08:00

A few days ago I ordered a Christmas gift for my brother. I let him know that it was on its way, and this morning I got this:

Thank you! It got here. It is now sitting under my tree, waiting for the blessed day. Well, it’s actually sitting under my table, since I don’t have a tree, but I figure that since they’re both made of wood, if you turn the lights down and squint, you really can’t tell the difference.

It made me laugh.

Darn.

2007-11-09T19:18:00.001-08:00

My first knitted-sock-with-a-hole. Sigh. I guess I'll have to go get one of those egg thingies.

Beef: It's what's for dinner

2007-11-09T18:55:00.000-08:00

A week or so ago I was cooking up some ground beef (with other stuff, of course, we don't eat it plain) and it turned out to be less-than-ideal. Having worked in a few different customer service-type jobs, I know how important it is for companies to get feedback. If something is wrong, they won't know unless you tell them. So I sent them a quick comment letting them know that while I liked their beef very much (and I still do), I had had a Below Average Experience.

The next day I got an e-mail from the president of the company thanking me for my comment, apologizing, and he said he wanted to replace the ground beef I had purchased. I fully expected to get a coupon for a free pound of ground beef in the mail. However, on Wednesday we came home to this:
An overnighted cooler with 6 pounds of ground beef, 2 filet mignons, a New York strip steak and a ribeye steak.

Wow.

Dakota Organic, I am a very impressed, happy, and loyal customer.

First Lace

2007-11-05T18:48:00.000-08:00

I finally got around to making my first lace project; not that I thought it would be too difficult, but I hadn't ever knit from a chart before (which turns out to be extremely simple) and therefore required more thought than usual. That and I've always got a list of twelve "very next" projects.

Before:

Soaking:

And finally, blocking:

I am very pleased with how it turned out. This is Whisper Scarf One in Cherry Tree Hill's Spanish Moss from The Loopy Ewe.

Shooting down the UFOs

2007-10-30T16:15:00.000-07:00

Do you read Knitting Daily? I do, and last week they did a survey of how many UnFinished Objects (UFOs) people had lying around. Wanting to be helpful, I dug around my several bags and baskets. I was rather surprised to find that I had a grand total of 17 partially finished projects. I answered 15, but then afterward found two more, which I subsequently lost and then re-found this afternoon.

As I mentioned in my last post, we have all been sick. I was tired and I was shamed by my 17 projects so I decided to take yesterday evening "off" - as much as one can when one has two young children - and work on a few things. I really got a lot done number-wise; I now have finished 6 of those projects.

The abandoned baby sweater was bound off and is therefore now a baby hat. I might still add tassels on the corners because that would just be so cute.

I also finally stuffed and sewed up these little balls from Knitting for Baby:

And last but not least, I finished a sock.

Chicken Poodle Soup

2007-10-30T15:43:00.001-07:00

Several years ago I read of a typographical error that resulted in the restaurant's menu offering "Chicken Poodle Soup". This has stuck with me and I at times find it difficult to even think the word "noodle" in combination with "chicken" and "soup". Though since I now have a couple of small someones to teach about how the world works, I've really been trying to break that habit.

We have all had a yucky cold and both the girls ended up with croup, so I decided to make some chicken noodle soup the other day. Try this and you'll never go back to canned soup. Measurements are rather vague because I don't measure.

Chicken Noodle Soup
1 chicken
water
carrots
celery
pasta (not angel hair or anything tiny that cooks quickly)
salt
parsley (I use dried)

Put the chicken in a large pot and cover (or mostly cover, if your pot isn't big enough) with water. (Those pasta pots with the perforated inserts are perfect for this.) Bring to a boil, lower the heat, put the lid on and simmer for 2-ish hours. Take the chicken out of the pot and let it cool a bit. Tear about half the meat into bite-sized pieces, tossing them back into the broth as you go. Save the rest of the chicken for something else (or another batch of soup, later). Turn the heat back up and while you're waiting for it to come to a boil, chop up some carrots and celery. I use maybe 3-4 cups (several handfuls) of carrots and 4 ribs of celery. Put those into the pot. When it's boiling, add about 8 oz (usually half a package) of pasta. If it's something long like spaghetti break it into 2-3" pieces as you put it in. Add about a tablespoon of salt and 2 or 3 tablespoonfuls of dried parsley. Cook for 10-15 minutes or however long is appropriate for your chosen pasta. Check to make sure the carrots are soft and taste to see if it needs more salt before turning off the burner.

*If you're short on time, boil a couple of boneless skinless chicken breasts for about 20 minutes. Chop those and add to the resulting broth and continue as directed, halving the amounts stated.

This stuff is seriously good.

Watch the birdie!

2007-10-23T20:03:00.000-07:00

This dancing bird is great. I found it over on Emily's blog.

While you're at it, check out the bird moonwalking, which was shown to me by my husband.

Costuming a baby

2007-10-16T17:18:00.000-07:00

This is a hilarious costume. If S was younger I would totally make this for her.

Hum.

2007-09-28T09:58:00.000-07:00

Well, I have a lot to blog about.

I suppose I'll start with this sewing project that I made several weeks ago for a friend's second birthday. It had been some time since I last sewed and I really enjoyed it.

This is the Little Artist's Drawing Case (unfortunately the tutorial seems to have disappeared) by Craft Apple.

I'm very pleased with how it turned out, and it seemed to be a hit with the birthday girl. I put erasable crayons in the pockets because... "Erasers! Don't make a mistake without one!" Now I need to make one for my daughter when I get a chance.

You are my sunshine

2007-08-13T16:26:00.001-07:00

For those of you who use Feedreader or another program of that sort, I have to share with you the quote now found in my header:

"[Lady Bostock] considered, possibly correctly, that there is nothing that brings the sunshine into grey lives like a sock or two." - P.G. Wodehouse

Thank you, Dear, for pointing it out to me.

Tiny art

2007-08-13T16:23:00.000-07:00

This is incredible. Check out the photo gallery, linked on the left side of the page.

The U.S. should do this.

2007-08-06T20:37:00.000-07:00

Convicted of a minor crime like littering or parking in a no parking zone? Try making the offenders wear Hello Kitty armbands as punishment.

Socks and sock

2007-08-04T10:07:00.000-07:00

I finally finished these socks that I started a few months ago. They are plain 2x2 rib knit from Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport in powder blue.
I also finished this sock, knit from Fortissima Colori Socka Color, color 9094 (I found the label!). This is a plain stockinette sock, of which I haven't knit for quite some time (since my first couple of pairs); I was amazed at how quickly it went. I loved how I could pick it up and stop at any point without having to think about it at all. Great for car knitting, and I also found it incredibly soothing to knit while letting my brain work through other things. This sock also provided some practice time for knitting while reading and with my eyes closed. From now on I plan to have a stockinette sock in progress at all times.

(F had to take pictures too.)

This puts me at 3 1/2 pairs of socks for the year. My goal is 6 pairs and I'm pretty sure I'm going to make it! (Which means that I will have accomplished both of my New Year's resolutions. I don't think I've ever completed all my resolutions before.) I have 5 socks on the needles right now so I just have to finish those and that'll be it.

Comments

2007-08-04T09:57:00.000-07:00

For some reason I have not been getting my comments on my e-mail, so don't leave a comment on an old post because I'll never know it's there.

The finished pair

2007-08-02T09:27:00.000-07:00

This is a test.

2007-07-26T09:35:00.000-07:00

This is only a test. Had this been an actual Dish Rag Tag dishcloth, it would have turned out much better (not to mention that my team would be disqualified for starting early).

Four Corners Dishcloth by 1870Pearl

This turned out to my my first successful provisional cast-on. I did make a little mistake in the grafting, but it doesn't bug me enough that I'll rip and redo it. The only really bad thing? It doesn't meet the regulation size (good thing I test knit it before the race!) of 9"; it's only 8" across. So next time I'll add a few more stitches.

Sigh. I don't think I'll ever get the hang of this "frequent posting" thing.

Knitting can be hazardous to your health

2007-07-13T15:35:00.000-07:00

Beware of exploding knitting needles!

Works-in-progress Wednesday

2007-06-27T21:16:00.000-07:00

I finished my first Sockapalooza sock yesterday evening. (Click on the picture to enlarge it.) Here it is being worn on one of my blockers from Leggy Creations.

Naturally, I immediately cast on for two different socks.

On the top, Claudia Handpainted in Carousel that I got for my birthday. (A colorway which I just discovered has been discontinued, which makes me want to buy out all I can find. Too bad I'm on a yarn diet.) I love this yarn. It's dreamily soft and the colors are so vibrant that just looking at it makes me feel happy.
On the bottom... I'm not sure. However, it is the Very First sock yarn I ever bought. Many moons ago. I started to knit it up once but it turned out too small so I ripped it and it's just been sitting in the yarn basket ever since. It's the only self-patterning yarn I own.
I didn't take any pictures of my progress because I neglected to take photos before the natural light faded. But I only have the cuffs done, so it's really not that exciting anyway.

Some days...

2007-06-25T21:41:00.001-07:00

...you just need some peanut butter and chocolate.

Buttons

2007-06-24T18:21:00.000-07:00

So I finally put buttons on the left there for the swaps in which I am participating, but I can't figure out how to make them links. In case you're interested, here are the links for:

Dish Rag Tag
and
Sockapalooza 4

Works-in-progress Wednesday

2007-06-20T12:53:00.000-07:00

Finally. some decent progress to show on my Sockapalooza socks. They are coming along quite nicely, despite the fact that I can only work on them here and there. A friend of mine watched my girls last week while I went to Starbucks and knitted, and then I got a good chunk done last night after the wee ones were asleep.

Sockapalooza

2007-06-11T22:11:00.000-07:00

So I've finally started my Sockapalooza socks. My pal pretty much said to do anything, so I chose this lovely red Lisa Souza yarn and started the Child's First Sock in Shell Pattern from Knitting Vintage Socks. I think the pattern and the yarn will go well together, plus I got gauge on the first try. Always a good sign.

Tradja

2007-06-10T15:12:00.000-07:00

Books I no longer care to own:

Knit Lit (like new)
Knitting Lessons (worn)
The Knitter's Gift (like new)
220 Aran Stitches (like new)
The Ultimate Sourcebook of Knitting and Crochet Stitches (like new)
Vogue Knitting on the go: Baby Knits Two (slightly worn)
Vogue Knitting on the go: Baby Blankets (slightly worn)

Things I would like to own:

Eliminate Chaos: The 10-step Process to Organize your Home and Life
The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness
Vogue Knitting 2006 Spring/Summer
Interweave Knits Summer 2006
Interweave Knits Spring 2007
Sock yarn (I'd especially like to try Cider Moon and Schaefer Anne)
dpn case
Small knitting bag (sock-project sized) with interior pocket(s), preferably with a close-able top

Anybody wanna trade? I'd prefer to ship to the US due to postage costs.

Popcorn for Dummies

2007-06-09T12:43:00.000-07:00

I am probably the only person in the world that didn't know (until about a week ago) that one could make popcorn in a regular pan on the stove. Growing up my family always had a popcorn maker and I assumed one had to have one - or else go with the microwave variety - in order to pop popcorn. Not so. And it's way easy. Just put 2 tablespoons oil and three kernels in a heavy 3-quart pan with a lid (by the way, All-Clad makes the best pans ever), put it over medium heat until one pops, then dump in 1/3 cup popcorn and shake the pan over the heat until they all pop.

I got a little thrill doing it for the first time. I love learning new things (even if they are things that everyone else knows already). I love popcorn, too. Ah, for the day when S is weaned and I can drown it in melted butter....

Well, here I am.

2007-05-25T21:01:00.000-07:00

Thank you for your kind comments and e-mails. Yes, I am okay. I think. I am going through some pretty bad postpartum depression and anxiety, and while I am not back to being myself again, I am getting better.

I know I've thought several times about different blog posts, but the only thing I can think of at the moment to show you is this:
The Olive You hat from Itty Bitty Hats (I love that book, by the way). Since I don't crochet, I did a seed stitch border instead of the called-for crochet. I also omitted the extra pimentos because once I got the olives on there I really liked the way it looked. And I made tassels instead of pom-poms because I like them better. It was my first time appliquéing and I thought that I would hate it (all those ends!), but it was actually really fun. It's been years since I've hand-sewed anything and it felt good to do it again. And here's a modeled shot:

Some dear friends of ours had their first baby on Sunday. Unfortunately he topped the scales at 9 pounds 5 ounces and so he has probably already outgrown his hat.

So how have you been?

Blog break

2007-05-01T22:41:00.000-07:00

I have some things going on in my personal life that necessitate taking a break from blogging. See you in a couple weeks!

Photo

2007-04-19T10:39:00.000-07:00

Aha! It's working today.
Yarn: Fleece Artist in Midnight (old base sock yarn)
Pattern: Lichen Ribbed Socks from Knitting Vintage Socks

Nothing.

2007-04-18T22:12:00.000-07:00

Well, I was going to post a photo of my finished Midnight socks, but Blogger isn't cooperating right now. And I can't show you my work-in-progress today because it's a gift. At least I'm blogging, right? (Or does this even count?)

Destination: Yarn

2007-04-03T12:25:00.000-07:00

Three days. Twenty yarn stores. Details here.

If I didn't have small children I would so totally do this.

Baby names

2007-04-03T12:22:00.000-07:00

While I would never name my daughter Metallica, I must say that I am so glad that I live in a country where I can name my child whatever I want to. Apparently in Sweden the government gets to approve or reject name choices. That's just ridiculous.

A wee tiny sock!

2007-03-26T22:20:00.000-07:00

First off, I need to apologize to The Imperfect Knitter that it has taken me so long to post this.

I got my wee tiny sock (by Royal Mail)!

I love it; it's absolutely adorable. She even sent along extra yarn so I can make it a pair! I plan to use my wee socks as Christmas tree ornaments. Thank you so much!

A request.

2007-03-26T22:15:00.000-07:00

Our friend Stephanie died about two hours ago. She was a beautiful young woman both inside and out who has been battling lung cancer for about two years. On Saturday night a tumor ruptured one of her arteries and the doctors were not able to do anything to stop the bleeding. Please pray for her family; she was only 15 years old.

Six weird things

2007-03-15T22:39:00.000-07:00

Six weird things about me:

1) I always save the best for last. So much so that if I have a handful of nuts, crackers, etc., I will eat all the broken ones from smallest to largest before eating all the whole ones. And if I'm eating cereal that has macadamia nuts in it I will eat around them so that the last bite or two will just be nuts and rice milk.

2) With both pregnancies, my linea nigra has shown up three weeks after giving birth.

3) Sometimes I get an irresistible urge to drop everything and go floss. Just because I feel plaque-y.

4) I chew primarily on the right side of my mouth. I make myself chew on the left side sometimes for more "even wear". Not like chewing food actually wears down your enamel, but still.

5) I always create patterns with the eggs that are left in the carton. It bugs me if I can't make it perfectly symmetrical.

6) I can't stand to eat chalazae, so I always pick them off and throw them away.

So what are six weird things about you?

Works-in-progress Wednesday

2007-03-14T21:26:00.000-07:00

Not much going on this week knitting-wise. I did get started on M's (new) socks:

They're Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport in turquoise.

I also made my Wee Tiny Sock (click to view a larger photo) :

This is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in berry. Check out all the wee tiny socks at the Wee Tiny Sock Swap Flickr group!

Free coffee!

2007-03-14T20:54:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow, March 15th, from 10 a.m. to noon Starbucks is giving away free 12 ounce drip coffee s.

Fetch...THE COMFY CHAIR!

2007-03-10T23:52:00.000-08:00

Cherish all your happy moments; they make a fine cushion for old age. -Booth Tarkington

And many happy moments are made while rocking one's daughter. For the past two years (yes, F turned two last Saturday), I have been rocking my daughter in this chair, picked up at a garage sale for $20.
I have been cushioning it with a bed pillow and a throw pillow (for the back and seat, respectively) and while it hasn't been the most comfortable, at least we didn't have to take out a loan to buy a nice new glider (have you seen the price for a good Dutalier?).

On F's birthday, my dear friend and excellent seamstress Holly surprised me with this:

The fabric is gorgeous.
I haven't quite gotten used to it yet; I still find myself craning my head forward in order to avoid resting my head on the wooden frame. I love sitting in my glider so much now that this morning I had my coffee and knitted in F's bedroom while she played. Thank you so much, Holly!

Works-in-progress Wednesday

2007-03-08T21:10:00.000-08:00

Let's just pretend that I didn't miss Wednesday, shall we?

The only thing I've worked on over the last few weeks is the second Midnight sock. Honestly, I'm surprised that I've been able to knit as much as I have lately (which isn't a lot, but still, I'm dealing with a newborn and a toddler here). All done with the heel flap and ready to turn the heel:

I love the way these socks are turning out and I'm sure that I will love wearing them (which is good, because I just discovered that two pairs of my store-boughten socks have holes in them and need to be thrown out). The pattern is the Lichen Ribbed Sock from Knitting Vintage Socks. It has a Welsh heel which has been very interesting to work, but I'm not sure how well it will wear; it seems thin somehow. Perhaps that's because the seam stitch is continued all the way through the heel.

I had grand plans to knit socks for sister M, who is here visiting this week. I finally decided to scrap the kid mohair socks and start over, so I ordered some Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport. I got fifteen stitches cast on the other night while I was waiting for a prescription (they were very, very quick) and that's as far as I've gotten. She is leaving tomorrow night. Sorry, M. The poor girl even lives in Chicago, where she needs wool socks right now.

For those of you who use a smaller size needle on just the bottom of the foot to lengthen the life of the sock, when do you switch needles? When you start the heel flap? I've been thinking about trying that.

The Wee Tiny Sock Swap!

2007-03-05T22:16:00.000-08:00

Emily is hosting a Wee Tiny Sock Swap! Go sign up!

I got legs!

2007-03-05T22:02:00.000-08:00

The lovely Becky of Leggy Creations sent me a wonderful pair of sock blockers! For those of my friends and relatives who don't knit, after you wash your socks you put them onto these things like this:

It sort of "molds" them into a nice socky shape so that they come out looking all beautiful and sock-like instead of a crumpled-up wad of yarn.
I love them and I use them all the time. Thank you so much, Becky!

And the winner is...

2007-03-03T01:06:00.000-08:00

Congratulations, Sue! E-mail me (MitoRocks at juno dot com) your address and I will get it in the mail. (And I was wrong. Four people read my blog.)

Free yarn!

2007-02-27T09:30:00.000-08:00

So to celebrate my return to blogging (at least I'm optimistic - S has started sleeping for slightly longer stretches and we are settling into some semblance of a routine), I decided to give away some sock yarn. (My husband doesn't believe that I will actually get rid of yarn.) From my stash I have chosen a skein of Steinbach Wolle Aktiv Color. I haven't actually knit with this yarn, but in the skein it feels similar to Opal to me. It is color #6, variegated shades of denim blue. It's just a touch darker than the photo.

So you want it? Just leave me a comment by Friday night and I'll draw a name. You'll have a good chance, seeing that about three people read my blog... :-)

My first post in two months!

2007-02-27T09:19:00.000-08:00

Every 10-year-old's dream toy.

I'm panicking!!!

2007-01-05T19:59:00.000-08:00

Yesterday my day was brightened by the fact that I got a package in the mail from Emily; look, she even wrapped it!

She was right about this being one of the most insanely complex games ever. We haven't had a chance to play it yet - what with the new baby and all - but I read through part of the rules and started getting Very Confused so I decided to give my brain a break. Though I won't rule out sleep deprivation as a possible cause of the confusion.

Thank you so much, Emily, we love board games and I can't wait to play this!

Christmas knitting revealed

2006-12-29T14:17:00.000-08:00

For my husband: a surprise pair of socks. This is my own pattern, knit from Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport in chocolate.

I love this yarn; it's soft and squooshy and I love the variegation. I think that someday I may try to make myself a sweater out of this stuff. The other great thing is that this pair of socks only took one skein (I literally had about a yard left, including all the little ends), so I get to use the second skein to make myself a pair.

I also made a pair of tufted mittens for my sister M. Unfortunately I was rushing to wrap and mail them so I forgot to take a proper picture. Both M and Bob were very pleased with their gifts and I was very pleased with their reactions.

Works-in-progress Wednesday

2006-12-29T12:59:00.000-08:00

Yes, I'm late, but I just didn't feel like posting on Wednesday. I've had false labor twice, on Sunday and Wednesday, and it is so exciting to think that you are finally going to get to meet the baby and then so depressing when they tell you that you're crazy and send you home. Okay, well, maybe they don't use that word exactly. But you know they're thinking it.

At any rate, here is the new work-in-progress:

This is the Fleece Artist merino in Midnight that I got on sale from Simply Sock Yarn. I love this stuff and I now know why so many people rave about it. It's soft, feels like it'll hold up well, and the colors are just gorgeous. The pattern is Lichen Ribbed Socks, another one from Knitting Vintage Socks.

I'm not going to post a picture of the Blueberry Pink Lemonade socks because a) they're packed for the hospital and it would just be a hassle and b) they're not that much longer than they were last time I posted. I did finish all the calf decreases, though, so now I can work on them without thinking (until I get to the heel flap).

Oh my goodness!

2006-12-26T17:49:00.000-08:00

I won! I never win anything. Emily of Yarn Miracle held a "What's So Great About Christmas Sweepstakes" and she drew my name out of the hat. I will soon be the proud owner of the "Shear Panic" board game. We'll have to have some friends over for a game night; it's been too long since we've done that anyway.

Thank you so much, Emily!

Oh, and by the way...

2006-12-22T21:53:00.000-08:00

This morning my doctor said I have a 50% chance of delivering in the next week. So if I disappear for a while that's probably why.

What do you like about Christmas?

2006-12-22T20:47:00.000-08:00

I've seen this on several blogs and have enjoyed reading the answers, so I thought I'd join in.

1. Eggnog or Hot Chocolate?
Eggnog all the way. But only homemade or Organic Valley brand; the regular artificially flavored stuff is gross.
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree?
Santa sends boxes from Amazon. The stuff inside is unwrapped because it costs like $4 to have them wrap a book.
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?
White. Because that's what was left and on sale after Christmas the year that I bought them.
4. Do you hang mistletoe?
No, but I should. I like the idea of hanging mistletoe.
5. When do you put up your decorations?
Shortly after Thanksgiving.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish?
My family always had crackers with cheese and sausage at Christmastime; I don't remember any other out-of-the-ordinary dishes. Since being married we've sort of adopted latkes as a Christmas meal. If we're counting Thanksgiving (it does say "holiday"), then I'd be hard pressed to choose between the turkey, the sweet potatoes, the stuffing, and all the pies.
7. Favorite Christmas memory as a child?
I don't know that I can name one thing as a particular favorite; one year when we were young my parents filled the whole room with balloons. I always loved going downstairs and looking through my stocking. Everyone loves hearing my memories of being "drugged" with Benadryl every Christmas Eve so that we would sleep (we never did anyway).
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
From the start my parents always said "the pretend Santa Claus." That's what we plan to tell our children as well. I'm not anti-Santa, but I really think that parent-child trust can be broken by things like that. Even if my parents had told us there was a Santa Claus, I'm almost certain I wouldn't have believed them; I could always see through things like that even when I was very young.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
Nope. My parents never gave in to the begging, and now that I'm older I know that the anticipation is half the fun.
10. What kind of decorations are on your Christmas tree?
Hodgepodge. All the ornaments from when my husband and I were children, several miniature Starbucks mugs, several nutcrackers, a miniature knitting basket that a friend made for my family when I was in high school. Lots of miniature things, I now realize.
11. Snow! Love it or dread it?
Love it. I just hope we're stocked up on groceries so I can stay home and enjoy it instead of driving in it.
12. Can you ice skate?
I think I've ice skated twice, both sometime around junior high. I can probably stand up and scoot around a little.
13. Do you remember your favorite gift?
The thing that sticks out in my mind is the year each of us kids got a sleeping bag; I was probably about 7.
14. What’s the most important thing about the holidays for you?
I really don't think I can name one thing. Spending time with my family and friends, the fact that the world stops and thinks about Jesus for a brief period, the Christmas candy (I know that sounds shallow but really, I would be very sad if I didn't have my Christmas baklava).
15. What is your favorite holiday dessert?
Baklava. A wonderful tradition in my husband's family. I also like chocolate covered marshmallows, this is the only time of year I get them. (Okay, so they're not really a dessert, but oh well.)
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?
When I was a child we would drive around and look at Christmas lights. Now I think some of my favorites are getting together with friends to make chocolate truffles (though we skipped that this year) and all the various homemade candies.
17. What tops your tree?
A small beaded angel that my husband's Aunt Carol made.
18. What is your favorite holiday book?
I can't think of a favorite.
19. What is your favorite Christmas Song?
Pat-a-pan and Carol of the Bells. Not these versions, but you get the idea.
20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yummy?
Yummy, though the soft old-fashioned peppermint sticks are even yummier.

Oh ladies! Fresh baklava!

2006-12-22T20:33:00.000-08:00

I finally got the Christmas baklava made today. I think that my husband is probably appalled at the amount I've already eaten, but at least this year I have the excuse of being pregnant! I also made chocolate fudge. My fudge will never be as good as my grandmother's, it seems, though I try to remember that she's been making it for a few years longer than I have; maybe by the time I'm a grandmother I will have gotten it right....

Also finally, a photo of the finished Little Child's Socks (from Knitting Vintage Socks, in Lorna's Laces shepherd sock). The color is waaaay off, but you can see the neat texture pattern (click on the picture for a larger image).
The color is much more accurate in this progress picture:
I am very happy with these socks, though the Shepherd Sock seems so soft I'm not sure how well it will wear. Time will tell.

Works-in-progress Wednesday

2006-12-20T15:27:00.000-08:00

I started the Blueberry Pink Lemonade socks. I wasn't sure how the stripedy-ness of the yarn would work with the pattern, but I think it's turning out pretty well. This is the Gentleman's Shooting Stockings pattern from Knitting Vintage Socks (the third pair on my quest to knit every pattern in the book).

My husband said "But you're not a gentleman." My reply? "No, but my feet are the size of a gentleman's."

I am done with all my Christmas knitting so I can now work on these guilt-free! Hooray.

The if-it's-a-boy hat

2006-12-20T15:18:00.000-08:00

It's finally done (it didn't take long at all, I just procrastinated about going and buying appropriate yarn).

I recently read a great response to the question "Do you know what you're having?" "Well, we're hoping it's a baby, but there was a woman in the Enquirer who gave birth to kittens...."

Eustace* or Imogene* can come any time now.

*No, those are not the real names we have chosen, but that's what I decided to jokingly tell my family and friends.

Dear Anonymous,

2006-12-20T15:06:00.000-08:00

In case you don't go back to check the comments on the original post, I don't know if that yarn is available online. I did a quick search and couldn't find it. However, I ended up ripping the Pomatomus socks (they were a source of endless frustration to me) so I still have the yarn. If you are interested in a trade drop me an e-mail at MitoRocks at juno dot com.

I love electricity.

2006-12-17T15:03:00.000-08:00

Yay! Our electricity is back on, finally. For those of you who don't pay attention to the weather in places other than where you live, here in Seattle we had a major windstorm on Thursday and our power has been out since then. Temperatures have been below freezing at night and somewhere in the forties during the day. Because we live in an apartment, all of our heat, hot water, stove, etc., is electric and so we've been without warmth for a while! Thankfully our dear friends Holly and The Krunchy Krab got their power back yesterday and invited us to spend the night there, which we gratefully did (and we got to take hot showers, too).

Now I just have to tackle the little problem of the refrigerator....

Short blog break

2006-12-02T18:09:00.000-08:00

Not that anyone probably cares, but I will be taking a short break from blogging because my husband has a long weekend. See you in a few days!

Works-in-progress Wednesday

2006-11-29T22:15:00.000-08:00

There's not a single thing I can show you. My Little Child's Socks have been finished and washed (and are just hanging there droopily because I don't own sock blockers), and everything else I'm working on is a Christmas present. I hope to get those presents finished up this week so hopefully I'll have something interesting next Wednesday!

What kind of reader are you?

2006-11-28T21:56:00.000-08:00

Found this over at Beth's Knitting.

What Kind of Reader Are You? Your Result: Literate Good Citizen You read to inform or entertain yourself, but you're not nerdy about it. You've read most major classics (in school) and you have a favorite genre or two.
Book Snob
Dedicated Reader
Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm
Fad Reader
Non-Reader
What Kind of Reader Are You? Create Your Own Quiz

For some reason the bar graph isn't working, but at least you can read my result. I don't usually do quizzes but this one caught my attention.

It's a good light day

2006-11-28T12:34:00.000-08:00

So you get some pictures! I've had some new yarn for a while but never took pictures of it - first, this is "Blueberry Wine" from Hill Country Yarns. (Purchased from Discount Yarn Sale.) I would say that "Blueberry Pink Lemonade" would be a more accurate color name; I still like it but it is not at all what I was expecting (and yes, I know hand dyed yarns vary).

Also from the same company, "Prairie View" (though in my book it's "Huskies"):
I also scored some Fleece Artist for 40% off from Simply Sock Yarn. "Midnight" is a mix of deep purples and blues:

And "Marine" is bright blues and greens:
The Fleece Artist is calling to me. Must. Knit. Christmas. Presents. First.

I hate it when I do that.

2006-11-23T11:48:00.000-08:00

Works-in-progress Wednesday

2006-11-22T20:49:00.000-08:00

But first, a couple of finished objects to show you:
The if-it-is-a-girl hat. I still need to go buy something to make the if-it-is-a-boy hat.

And, my finished pair of mittens. They are fine for a first pair, but next time I will definitely alter the pattern a little to fit my hands better.

Now, on to the in-progress:

We have a dark-but-clear photo and a bright-but-blurry one. Take your pick. (As always, click to see a larger photo.) You'd be able to see the pattern much better if I was actually wearing the finished sock, but at the moment I don't feel like contorting myself to take that sort of a photo, so you're out of luck.

I also have a pair of socks that I just cast on so there's not much point in taking a picture, and a few Christmas gifts on the needles but you can't see those for obvious reasons.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Stuff and Things

2006-11-20T12:57:00.000-08:00

("Stuff and Things" is, by the way, the name of a secondhand store in Oregon.)

I have too much stuff. I have mentioned this before, and I have thought it for some time, so why do I still want more stuff? It is human nature to be selfish and greedy and to not be thankful for the things that one already has. Americans in general have too much stuff, and yet we are never content. A Bible verse that really struck me is Ecclesiastes 5:11:

As goods increase, so do those who consume them.
And what benefit are they to the owner except to feast his eyes on them?

I tend to make resolutions throughout the year, not just at the beginning. I resolve to be more grateful for what I have, and to do my best to focus on those things rather than on the things which I don't have.

Along those lines, if someone you know has too much stuff, you might consider giving a donation to Samaritan's Purse or some other charity in their honor in lieu of a Christmas gift. I personally have never done this because I am always afraid to step out and do something different. However, I think I will do this for a few people this year. I know that I would be thrilled if, for example, someone bought a goat for a poor family in my name. They could use a goat much more than I could use more sock yarn, I'm sure.

Yes, yes, I'm still alive.

2006-11-19T13:02:00.000-08:00

Last night my husband and I went to the symphony. We have been four times, and going by our last three visits we average about once a year (the first time was several years ago). Last night we saw Grieg's Peer Gynt, John Williams' The Five Sacred Trees (a bassoon concerto), and Schumann's Symphony No. 1 in B-flat major. Peer Gynt was outstanding, I was really enthralled by it. I was unimpressed and bored by The Five Sacred Trees, though there were some good parts in the second movement. Honestly I believe that a large part of my feelings toward it are because it is modern (1993); I don't care for a lot of modern classical music. Schumann's symphony was good, but it didn't "speak to me" like some music does (Beethoven's Ninth, for example, or Mozart's Requiem). I am really glad that I got to hear Peer Gynt performed but I went away feeling a little disappointed that the rest of the concert wasn't as good.

These all were led by a guest conductor, Arild Remmereit, and I thought he was really good. He was very animated and seemed very good-natured - I saw him wiggling his eyebrows at several musicians before the concert started - and I was impressed that he only used a score for the bassoon concerto.

The baby is definitly reacting to sound now; after that first cymbal crash in Peer Gynt he woke up and started jumping around.

Last year for Christmas we were given a Seattle Symphony gift certificate and we used part of that to buy tickets to see the Cowboy Junkies in April. I'm really looking forward to that, and we still have a balance left so we'll get to go see another concert as well.

I had a really good, really long blog post written up in my head last night but unfortunately this is all you get....

Works-in-progress Wednesday

2006-10-11T20:49:00.000-07:00

Here we have a hat for our baby (if it is a girl). It's Rowan Cashsoft aran, which is wonderfully soft; I just grabbed it from my stash but I think I may have to go buy another ball in a boyish color for the if-it-is-a-boy-hat.
Here is some great (for me) progress on sister M's socks. These are in kid mohair and they are turning out very fuzzy and snuggly feeling. The mohair is kind of annoying to work with so I can only knit with it for so long before taking a break.

And last but not least, my very second mitten ever. I am doing this one on 40 stitches instead of 44 and I think it's going to be a much better fit. That means I have to rip and reknit the first one....

It is only through great willpower that you don't see a partial baby sweater here today. I've already got most of it planned.

Note also that there has been no progress whatsoever on the Grey Sweater II or the Little Child's Socks. What's it to you?

Spinning

2006-10-09T12:50:00.000-07:00

Recently I have started itching to spin again (like I don't have enough other things to do). I spun in high school on a homemade wheel similar to this one, but it is long gone. After some brief research it looks like a "real" wheel will cost me around $350 (and that's the lower end) so I guess I'll have to start up with a drop spindle (which start around $10-15).

My daughter, the knitter.

2006-10-05T22:00:00.000-07:00

This morning F was drawing with her markers, and as usual, after a few minutes became bored and started playing with the caps (on, off, on, off...). My husband noticed she had taken two caps and was sitting on the couch, holding one in each hand and rubbing them together over and over. He asked what she was doing and she signed "knitting". Of course.

Cravings.

2006-10-05T21:22:00.000-07:00

I have had a craving for ice cream for days. Weeks, maybe. Specifically, I've had a craving for Snoqualmie Gourmet ice cream. This afternoon I went to Country Village to get a scoop and, horror of horrors, the restaurant that serves it had closed early today. Sigh. So I had to settle for some Ben & Jerry's. Not as good as the Snoqualmie Gourmet, but it (mostly) took care of the craving. I'm still hankering after SG's pumpkin ice cream.

As you may have noticed, I completely forgot about Works-in-Progress Wednesday last night. Here you have a finished sleeve:

And a rather short sock:
(I figured out part of my dark photo problem. The pictures look lighter on the camera than they do once I move them to the computer. Phooey.)

Now that I have started posting regularly about my progress I am embarrassed about how slowly everything is going. I realize that I have other commitments, but it still seems like I should have more to show each week.

Today I bought yarn for a secret Christmas project. I would post about it but I know the intended recipient reads my blog. So you'll just have to imagine some Brown Sheep worsted until after Christmas.

Socktoberfest

2006-10-03T13:26:00.000-07:00

Well, Socktoberfest is officially here. I have decided that my goals for this month are:

a) to finish sister M's socks. These have languished on the needles for months (she asked me to make them for her back in March) and I've finally decided that toe-up is not going to work for this pair. When I next attempt toe-up socks, it will not be with kid mohair.

b) to finish my Little Child's Socks from Knitting Vintage Socks

c) make the Thick Woodsman's Socks from Knitting Around

d) learn the two circulars method of sock knitting, and

e) attempt toe-up socks again.

Obviously, I have too many goals. Especially because we are going to go on vacation for two weeks and I've got a million things to do before we leave. But maybe I can do three out of five....

Works-in-progress Wednesday

2006-09-27T21:16:00.000-07:00

This - the Grey Sweater II - is all I've worked on this week. Terribly exciting, I know.