Scary Monster

It's show and tell time. I hat picked up a Monster Hat kit from Insubordiknit about a month ago but hat to put it on hold while I did a bit of Christmas knitting.
But it was the first thing I picked up to work on once I was done with those projects. I played around with different things to make with this yarn and for a while I was going to make a monster scarf. But after playing with gauge swatches and actually making a super long large gauge scarf, I realized it just wouldn't handle the monster patch well enough. This yarn is such a work of art, I felt I had to stay true and use the patch with the yarn. Besides, I love Subtle Stuble!

I went back to thinking about a hat again, but was hesitant to make a beanie style hat because I don't like the way I look in them. All of my hair disappears! And I am still harboring insecurities about looking like a boy. I'm far from a girly girl, but I was mistaken too many times for a boy growing up for me to be heathy about it. All I can do is blame it on the 70's. Plus, my hair is magic hair - it immediately takes on the shape of anything you do to it for the rest of the day. So, in the 10 minutes I would wear a full hat, I would have hat head the rest of the day.

It was at this point that I happened across the Shocking Pink Coif from Knitty. I thought - perfect. Enough of my hair still shows. Plus, living in San Diego, it rarely gets cold enough to need a full head hat. When it does, a coif style hat would avoid the magic hair phenomenon, by not mashing my hair to bits while I wear it, but still keep my ears warm.

So here's my Subtle Stubble Monster Coif in all it's glory:

Plus, there was enough yarn left over to make a cool little cravat scarf.

Please check out the Monster Hat kits and other fun goodies Jacey makes over at Insubordiknit. Each ball of yarn she spins tells a story and her monster hats are awesome. She updates her site with new offerings each Sunday, so if she's sold out, just check back. Plus, it looks like kpixie is carrying her yarn now too!

Dinner and a Movie

In an effort to revitalize me a little bit, B took me out on a date night last night. We tried this really cute Russian/Georgian restaurant that he walks past every Tuesday for his tournament. It's called Pomagranate and the food was sooooo good. I had never had real Russian food before and didn't know what to expect at all. The spices weren't out of the ordinary, but they were in different combinations than I hadn't tasted before. They had a fun salad sampler appetizer plate that allowed us to try 6 different traditional salads. Because they ranged in richness, the waitress suggested the order to eat them in! For dinner, I got something called the Georgian Eagle (the Russian name escapes me at the momment, but it started with a K), which was an amazingly tender chichen quarter in a yummy gravy they called a casserole. It came with little cubed and seasoned potatoes and a rice pilaf. B got a cutlet that was really like a somewhat flattened beef and lamb meatball. We really enjoyed everything except for the rice pilaf. There was a spice in it that gave it a strange aftertaste that neither of us cared for. Fresh dill was used in almost everything (a very underrated herb in cooking here, I think) and a surprising amount of fresh cilantro (one of my favorites). I kept thinking as we tried everything that my sister-in-law would love it and Pomagranate is on the list of places to take her next time she comes to visit. The atmosphere was also great. It was simple, but cozy, yet artsy and fun. They had some great music playing and apparently they had no problem with you writing on the walls. I think one of my favorite parts was when the waitress brought the red wine I ordered. She put the tumbler of wine down and and said - Chilean wine, but Russian size.

After that we headed over to see King Kong. I wanted to see it, but was a little scared about how realistic the ape was going to be, especially knowing how it was going to end. Fortunately, it was touching and devistating, but held to the style of something they would have shown in the thirties. I should have known that Peter Jackson wouldn't have given in to modern day over-the-top gore for gore's sake. I have a special affection for our primate cousins and find brutality toward them particularly distressing. I saw a Instict a few years ago and was litterally sobbing uncontrollably - another reason I prefer to watch movies in the comfort of my own home rather than at the movie theater. Anyway, I digress. King Kong was great. You should totally go see it. I liked everything but Jack Black's closing comment. Dumb. The special effects were truly amazing. But beware, there are giant bugs. The entire theater was making heeby jeeby sounds! Another fun thing about this movie is that "Billy Elliot" is one of the ship's crewman, Jimmy, all growed up.

Well, I'm off to put the monster patch on my monster hat. Pictures to follow soon...

Hum Dee Dum

I wish I had a big long list of things to show you knitting-wise. But, as I am sure you can guess at this point, I don't. I have this week off from work and I don't have to go back until Tuesday. I have a million things to do around the house, the biggest one still being the completion of my office organization. I have a million WIPs. But, I have been finding myself milling around the house not taking interests is much of anything. Even showering had taken on an annoyance that is beyond anything I've experienced. I'm not sure what is wrong with me. I know I will kick myself Tuesday morning for not being more productive, but still no motivation.

I did manage to pick up and do a few more inches on the front of my WGS. I love how it comes along quickly, once I actually pick up the needles. Just knowing that I have a chart to follow and a zillion balls hanging off the work has prevented it from being something that I just pick up and work on. I also picked up my bulky cabled cardie again. I'm still somewhat afraid that it is going to be too big. I decided that I will finish the body and then try it on, if it is too big, I think it will be worth taking it all out and re-gauging the pattern.

My goal for my projects from here on out is ease of wear. I want the things that I make for myself to be easy to wear, something that I don't have to be adjusting all day long or worried that I'm going to snag it on something. My bulky mini cardigan came out like that and now I wish it for all my knitted goods. So, if the spongy loose gauge on my bulky cabled cardie ends up feeling like something I'm going to have to pay attention to all day, it will be worth it to me to get it right now. Like I said, it could be fine, but I have my doubts, which is why I haven't just zipped through this project. It is a very fast knit after all.

I am also working on some old project adjustements to some of the knitted gifts that I gave to my family members last year. I made my mom a scarf with pockets, but the pocket gape open. So, I got some toggle buttons today and I am going to add them to the pocket so they will stay closed. I am also adding a sinch closure to some slippers I made last year. Because of the yarn I picked out, they fit the first wear out of the wash, but then they get so floppy, they fall off your feet. Hopefully the sinch closure will let them be a little more wearer friendly. I guess I'll have to make everyone some decent felted slippers one of these days to replace the floppy ones.

Yo, yo, knitta!

I'm not even sure how I came across this one but you have to read this article about knitter taggers.

The best part is that they are headquarters in the Montrose area of Houston. So, it was really fun to recognize the places they were talking about.

Christmas revisited

I hope everyone's holiday season is going well. For those who celebrate Christmas, I hope you had a very wonderful day yesterday. We had an extended Christmas this year because we were able to celebrate both of our family's traditions. We openned up presents on Christmas Eve with B's family (via iSight), had a nice dinner and watched It's A Wonderful Life. I find it really amazing that I have lived almost 31 years and had never seen this movie. I now unerstand why it is a Christmas classic. One thing that I was surprised about, is that the movie was nothing like what I thought it was. In my head, I thought it was kind of like A Christmas Carol, only the really grouchy guy kills himself and then most of the movie is like seeing Christmas Future. Then he feels bad, so he gets a do-over. So, you can imagine my surprise when it wasn't like that at all! It was so funny and the characters were great. It was one of those movies you catch yourself watching with a big smile on your face.

Christmas Eve was also knitting night. Being the mom of two knitters, my mother-in-law spoiled me and my sister-in-law with goodies from Knit Picks. Seen here from left to right is Paint Your Own merino (each hank it 880 yards!), Sock Landscape in Spring Prairie (I have been warned that this sock yarn doesn't ware well as socks, so I will probably use it for something else - I love the colorway though!), a Lantern Moon project bag, and enough Andean Silk to make Grace from knitty.


She also fed my Freedom Wool addiction with enough cream Freedom Wool to make that loopy jacket I've had my eye on. It's pictured on the cover of the Freedom Wool pattern book shown below.


Christmas Day we went up to my parents where we had Christmas morning with my parents, my grandma and my brother and his wife. The "kids" exchanged stockings this year in an effort to give my mom a break from having to come up with stocking stuffers for 4 grown adults - some traditions never die. We had a lot of fun with our stocking goodies which included a "nerf-like" door basketball hoop and a balloon animal kit. Fun! My grandma said she had never seen so many toys given to grown-ups before and giggled. What can we say, the four of us have never given up our appreciation for toys and having fun. The stocking exchange gave us a chance to go all out - and with a $10 limit no less! Yay, dollar bins!

I also gave my sister-in-law the One Skein Wonder that I made her using Lang Polar in an eggplant purple (0090). I love this yarn and since it's thick/thin it makes a nubby pantern in the fabric. I was worried that it would be too big, but I think it fits her nicely and should be easier to wear over cap sleaves since the arms holes aren't super tight.


We ate all day long and in the afternoon, we put together a puzzle. This has become a holiday tradition for my family because it gives us something to do together while we are hanging out. This year though, I think we may have exceeded the focused involvement usually experienced. B said on the way home that he was a little scared at how into the puzzle he got. It wasn't just him though. (This was an entirely candid snap shot.)


The only one who didn't have a good time was Jenny. Except for having fun with her stuffed kitties, she was pretty much miserable the whole day. We had a fire going in the living room that crackled, hissed and spit, which she hates. We opened gifts making lots of scary noise with the wrapping paper, which she hates. We made balloon animals with scary squeeky balloons, which she hates. We played with those clanky noisy scary metal brain teaser games, which she hates. Overall, not a happy camper. When it was time to go, I asked her if she was ready to go home (a term she knows) to which she promptly ran to the front door and waited for us to leave.

But perhaps the most special part of Christmas for me this year was my grandma. As I mentioned in an earlier post, she turned 90 this year. She has been living with my parents for the past few years and we have watched her slow down. She is an amazingly happy person, but physically, she just doesn't have the stamina she used to. I know that my time with her is limited and I think she felt truly blessed to be able to spend this holiday with her family. She had tears in her eyes when she hugged everyone goodnight before she went to bed. She also was tickled that I made her a neck cozy. She said - at least one of my grandkids knows how to knit! That made me smile, but I was especially touched later on when I was showing her how it fit together. She gave me a big hug and had tears in her eyes when she pulled away. This is why I knit.

Happy Holidays!

On this Eve of Christmas and Hannukah (and while I'm waiting for B to get out of the shower already, 'cause we need to get to the airport soon), I want to use this as an opportunity to wish everyone a very happy holiday, wherever you are spending it this year. Best of tidings to you all! xox

5...4...3...

That's right folks, just a couple more days left. Is your knitting done? Is it close? I know it will work out. It always does or else we wouldn't do this.

Anyhoo, I can't complain. I didn't have all that much Christmas knitting this year and I have one completed Grandma's Neck Cozy fresh off the needles for your viewing pleasure.


I think it came out really cute and I can totally picture her wearing it. It only took less than 1 ball of koigu on size 4 needles (one size smaller than called for in the pattern just because that's what I had and its a neck cosy for pete's sake) and it looks just like the pattern picture (always a plus for me ;-) I did most of the knitting - pretty much the entire second half - while watching a movie the other night. (Finally, saw My Own Private Idaho. Oh, River. I didn't realize how much I missed you.)

You can get this pattern for free when you buy a hank of Koigu through Patternworks. I got mine from my SP5 secret pal, but I have since seen the offer in the patternworks catalog. I loved the pattern stitch for the main body part of the cozy and can totally picture incorporating it into socks - once I know what I am doing in that department. And can I just say: koigu, wow! I love this stuff and the rapid color changes are enough to keep any ADD knitter happy. I look forward to working with many more balls of koigu.

And because she is really that cute and because she couldn't believe I was home in the middle of the afternoon during the week, one picture of a hyper pooper:

She won't know what hit her when I don't go to work next week :-)

Please...

Take a deep breath, count to ten and get yourself in a mentally positive state before you go to the mall. I was practically run down last night by someone flying through the parking lot, obviously in a rush and obviously stressed out. They had the nerve to honk at me as if I was the one with the problem.

I know that this is a stressful time of year for a lot of people, but it shouldn't be. Like weddings, the holidays should be a happy time, even if things don't go exactly as planned.

So everyone who still has to face the mall, try to relax and get yourself in the right mood. Not only will your experience be more positive and productive, but so will everyone else's. Happy shopping!

Could it be...am I done?

Let's see...

Shopping: Finished the last of it today, except for the gifts I'm going in on with my little sister, since she is taking care of getting those. Yay!

Cards: I always make my own. Coming up with an original design idea at this point can be challenging, but luckily I had B to help out this year. We designed our cards together- we decided against the "bizarro world" idea where we would have a picture of me doing an ollie in the driveway while B knits on the front steps, but I hope they will be enjoyed anyway. They're all ready to send out. Yay!

Baking: I love baking for the holidays, despite how I never feel like I have enough time. I didn't bake last year (or send out cards, for that matter) because I just had way too much going on with the move. So I was even more intent on doing both this year. I spent practically the entire weekend in the kitchen. I always have to bake what has become my traditional holiday cookie- the frosty snowball cookies. I usually pair this with another type of cookie(s) or fudge. This year I decided to try two new things: chocolate bark candy and something called Hermits, which are little bar-type cookie things with icing on them. i was a little worried (read: stressed out) yesterday as I experimented with these new recipes (a more sensible baker would have tried the recipe out ahead of time, but of course I would never plan for that kind of thing)...luckily, they both seemed to have turned out fine.* Yay!

Packaging and mailing: I have quite a few gifts for out-of-town friends that need to be mailed. I spent most of the afternoon packaging up these gifts and baked goodies in puffy envelopes and boxes of various sizes, and now all I have to do is figure out how to haul it all to the post office tomorrow morning. Yay! :p

So...I think maybe that's it...although I am really apprehensive about saying that, for fear that I will jinx myself. I think I will go back and re-check my list one more time...

* Someday I will remember to photograph things before I package/wrap them up. For someone who takes pride in packaging and gift wrapping, you would think I would want to document my handiwork, but I guess I get so wrapped up (sorry, no pun intended) in what I'm doing, that I forget to snap the pictures. Too bad. I'm really proud, especially, of the gift baskety thing I made up for B's sister...oh well. I guess you'll just have to take my word for it. ;)

Can I have a do-over, please?

It's the final week before the big day and my Christmas knitting is so far on track. I am down to picking up the stitches on my first project and given that I have to be in the right mood to deal with that, I started my grandma's neck cozy. I got 1/3 of it done last night, when I realized that the "5" on my needles stood for "mm" not needle size. I had gathered up the needles, yarn and pattern for this project late on Wednesday night and apparently I was already half asleep. Assuming (remember what they say about assuming things?) that I had gathered correctly, I didn't bother to check that I was using the right needles for the project. As I was finishing the 3rd inch of the main portion of the cozy, I started thinking that these needles seemed pretty fat for 5s. I contemplated just continuing but there was no way I would have enough yarn with that much of a needle difference.

What was most painful is that I had already performed the needle gymnastics necessary to create a slip through area for the other end of the cozy by splitting the stitches from one needle to two, knitting up two sides in pattern and then rejoining them. I'm a firm believer in karma and apparently knitting karma is faster acting than normal karma. The big head I was developing at having achieved this feat for the first time was quickly and efficiently smashed down to size no more than 30 minutes later by realizing my needle mistake.

I couldn't believe it! I was going to have to start all over again. B helped me rewind my yarn as I frogged and decided that the momment needed a little theme song to which he promptly began singing the sweater song from Weezer…"If you want to destroy my sweater…"

Carmen (alias: Burlypurly)

Originally uploaded by whirlypurly.

Well here she is, the completed Carmen sweater, which I've decided to nickname Burlypurly. Just a quick recap: the pattern is the Weekend Pullover from Knitting Pure and Simple, knit in Brown Sheep Burly Spun in Dark Charcoal. This marks my first completed "real" sweater (sorry, Happy Daisy, but I will come back to you, I promise). I wanted something big and well, burly, casual, and warm, something to throw on on cold days or nights. And I must say, this fits the bill. The pattern was simply constructed, easy to follow, and quick to knit (even for a slow knitter like me). All in all, a very satisfying project, and a great deal of fun. I think I'd like my next sweater to be a little more close fitting, but for what this little number is, it's perfect. I am loving this.

Pattern Haul

Books
Originally uploaded by Disentangled.

Last weekend at my office Christmas party I had the good fortune of winning a gift card to Borders. Basically everyone in the office won (pronounced "Juan") a gift card for the same amount, but for vastly different places. I felt like I scored with the Borders card because there are so many knitting books I want and hardly ever justify buying.

So, while Nonnahs was in town on Thursday/Friday, we trekked over to the Borders as soon as it opened on Friday morning. I was able to score a couple of the books that have been on my wish list for more than a year as well as a couple of the new magazines. I then spent the evening with a cup of tea leisurely going through the books. I had to enter a trance-like state in order look through the books without planning on making everything I saw. So, now I feel like I have some good sources of ideas, but I don't have a list a mile long of Next Projects.

Also, I wanted to take this time to acknowledge the wonderful time I had Thursday night with my girls at dinner. It was so good to be all together again and catch up. Gift giving has definitely gotten easier between us. All of this years' gifts are knitting related. (Thanks again girls!) They haven't received their's from me yet, but I doubt they expected anything different.

(P.S. Three cheers for Nasus who just finished another semester of law school - yippy! She can knit again!)

Mr. Hanky

I had a rather strange experience this afternoon, I returned home after going out with B for lunch. I was temped to nap (again), but realized that if I took a few minutes, I could get a package together that is bound for Australia (wink, wink, Nyl) and get it to the post office before the after-work holiday rush. So, I set out to accomplish just that. I did my normal things when I first get home (put my stuff down, walk over to Jenny on the couch and rub her belly, let her outside to go potty) and I gathered up the items for the aforementioned package.

When I went over by the closet to get a box, I smelled something. I looked around but couldn't find the source of the smell. I thought that maybe it was the cardboard boxes - you know how they can smell kinda gross sometimes? - and went about my business (boxed up the 'items', went into the office and wrote out the addresses, taped up the box and walked it back into the living room). I went to the post office and noticed that I could smell the smell in the car. I looked over at the box on the seat with wonder as to what could make cardboard so stinky. I dropped off the box and got back in the car. The smell was still there! Boy, what the heck?

Now that I was back at home, I was going to start a candy project for office gifts. My mother-in-law called and as I was talking to her, I could smell the smell! I started to think I was going crazy. There was nothing on the floor. Was it me? I had showered this morning, but I guess you never know. Then I realized, what if the smelly something was on me?

And that my friends is when I picked up my foot and looked at the bottom of my shoe. Apparently, at some point during the lunch expedition, I had stepped in poop. Then I remembered everything I had done since I started smelling the poop. As I walked back into the dining room/living room, I could see poop spots all over the carpet! OMG!!! There was literally a recreation of my afternoon on the carpet, step by step. The carpet in this place is already trashed - hence the reason we don't worry about taking our shoes off when we get home - but now? I just kept repeating - Oh, no! Oh, no! My house looks like we had a visit from the Christmas Poo himself!

So now that I am done spot cleaning the carpet, I am thinking that after nearly 5 years, it may finally be time to move.

Christmas Spirit

It seems that getting into the Christmas spirit has gotten harder and harder as I've gotten older. I still really enjoy this time of year and have fun decorating a tree and planning presents for people. But real life is still there. I still have to pay my bills, pay the rent and go to work 40 hours a week.

As a kid, it seemed like the Christmas season lasted forever. You sang the songs, had Christmas shows at school, went to parties. There was so much time before the holiday actually came to enjoy the feeling and celebrate the time of year. Now it seems like as soon as it begins, it's over. No sooner is the tree up, but it's time to take it back down.

So, I've been trying to figure out a good way to prolong the Christmas feeling. I've tried getting a tree super early, thinking that maybe the physical time is the issue. After last year, I was convinced that singing the songs is really what did it. And I don't mean Jingle Bells, I mean the good ones like the Little Drummer Boy and Favorite Things. B's Christmas present last year was the first 4 seasons of South Park on DVD. A few days after Christmas we happened to watch a Christmas episode where they did all sorts of "improvements" to classic Christmas songs. After the show was over, B and I spontaneously kept singing Christmas songs. I told him that it was the most Christmas Spirit I had felt all season. This year I was determined to incorporate a little carolling action into our normal Christmas activities.

So, given my interest in the Christmas spirit and how to prolong it, I have taken particular notice of the Christmas related activities of our neighbor across the hall. He is your average 35-something male. He bought his condo earlier this year, so I think this is his first Christmas in his new place. The day after Thanksgiving, he put a wreath on the door. Then he promptly decorated his patio with colored Christmas lights. I can only assume that there is a tree inside and a plethora of other decorations. I had just made a comment to B the other day, that I thought it was cute that a single guy took the time to decorate his place for Christmas. Most of the guys I know would never bother with such things without the presence of a female or children in the household. So given this, imagine my pure delight when as I walked toward my door I heard music playing in the hall. (I always like hearing other people's music playing in the halls because it reminds me that I am surounded by people living their lives. You get so caught up in your own life, sometimes you forget about your neighbors as soon as you close your door. Hearing other's music reminds me of their humanity.) But today was a little different, today as I got closer and closer to my own door, I started to realize what I was hearing: "...bring you good tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy." Yup, he had Christmas songs playing at full volume. And it's 11 days before Christmas. Man, if only I could tap into whatever is running through that guy's veins.

I can't take this rock star lifestyle

Parties, parties! And San Diego parties, to boot! San Diego Party o' the Week #1 (SDPW1) was on Sunday night in La Jolla . Lots of fun. The damage: B and I got home by 12:30am, I got roughly 5 hours of sleep. Last night: SDPW2, a birthday party for B's friend and former roommate (who actually does live the rock star lifestyle, literally). The damage: Got home at 1:30am, racked up a whole 3 hours of sleep. It was well worth it, don't get me wrong, the party was a lot of fun. It was a private party at Jbar, which is located on a rooftop pool deck of the Hotel Solamar in the Gaslamp. It was very (just watched Heathers last weekend, sorry)...not to mention, very cold. I had never been there before. I would recommend it though, as a fun place to have a cocktail, especially during the summertime, since being on a rooftop in December when it's in the 40-degrees range is not super comfortable, even amidst heat lamps and fire pits. The best part was seeing B and his old crew get together and reminisce about old times and all the wacky stunts they pulled as kids. It was cute. Some of those guys hadn't seen each other in years. And I was happy to finally be able to meet the characters I have been hearing stories about for 2 years. It was a good time. :) Now, however, I feel like this:
And to add to the madness, last night we were invited to SDPW3 on Saturday night in Carlsbad. I'm sorry, which city do I live in again? I forget...

On Crack

Yup, that’s me. On crack. I decided on Sunday that I am going to do some Christmas knitting after all. After experiencing first hand what the Harlot calls “IT” last year – umm, I think slippers, scarves and wash cloths for most of my family and friends after I had learned to knit 6 months earlier counts as IT don’t you? Especially when the hat for my sister-in-law was literally finished as we where leaving to go to my parents’ house to exchange gifts – I had decided no Christmas knitting this year. Not that I don’t love to make things for people, but I get a little crazy. I was really looking after my own sanity – besides I had hardly made myself anything when I first started knitting, it was also a little ‘me’ time.

But then I found myself stumped. My inspiration just didn’t surface for a couple people and I am someone who really needs to be inspired. I’ve always detested buying (or making) a gift for the sake of having something random to give to someone else. I much rather give them something I think they will really like or means something to me or them. So when inspiration is on a vacation, it freaks me out a bit. The biggest road block this year was my grandma. She turned 90 this year – go grandma! – and the woman literally has everything she wants. She is to the point in her life where she is trying to reduce her ‘stuff’ not accumulate more. She buys the few things she needs and other than wishing her hands still worked liked they used to, she doesn’t need anything else. Plus, I already made her last spring what she wanted – a hat to fit her small head. So, what am I going to do? I’ve bought her music before (Amazon now thinks that I have a serious thing for Lawrence Welk) and was thinking about maybe getting her a DVD, but again, I am very much against the buying for the sake of buying. But, it finally hit me – something I could make her that I think she will really like. I have a pattern for a little koigu neck cozy that my Secret Pal from the SP5 exchange sent me with a great ball of green koigu is a beautiful colorway. It is something that I’ve wanted to make, but kept getting put to the side. I think she would really like it (I mean, it’s koigu!) and I can totally picture her wearing it.

So, that is now on the list as well as a couple other things that I can’t mention yet but will promptly post pictures of after they have been given as gifts. Fortunately, I think these gifts are fairly quick knits, but I can’t let myself get cocky or otherwise distracted. Focus, focus, focus…

Carmen is dunzo!

Just popping in to say that Carmen is now a happy FO...but no pictures to show yet. There was a brief attempt at a photoshoot yesterday afternoon, but by the time we got around to it, the sun had nearly set, so the light (even outside) wasn't great. And I want to get a good photo of this thing. So, I'll try again soon.

In other news, my butt is dragging today. Okay, so it's not literally dragging (thank goodness) it not even really news, but you know what I mean. B and I traveled down to SD for the company holiday party and didn't get home until after midnight (way past my bedtime on a school night). Lucky for me I fell asleep right away (even in spite of all the wine I consumed)...but approx. 5 hours of sleep is just not enough for an old woman like me. This is going to be a long day...

Not-So-Chinese Charm Bag

I finally have a little FO show and tell. I have so many things in the works, that I really just wanted to finish something. And given my recent state of mind, the Chinese Charm Bag (from SnB) was the best choice - basically a stockinette tube with handles. Oops! Did I give away the pattern? ;-)

So here it is in all its glory. I decided that its really a Not-So-Chinese Charm Bag because the yarn I chose gives the bag a completely different feel. I ended up using some Tahki Angel in colorway 6 (mostly black with alternating tufts of orange, yellow, blue and maybe some red). I had picked it up at the Groves big sale this summer for 50% off. I wasn't all that thrilled with the yarn once I started working with it - it split way too easily. But, the tufts hid those imperfections and I liked the way the colores laid themselves out as I knit. I also picked up a set of bamboo handles from Michaels for about $5.



Here's a picture of the charm, which I got on vacation in Australia this summer at the one and only LYS in all of Queensland - Threads and More (I think).

I lined it with a quilting quarter that I had lying around that matched the blue, but not really the look of the bag. But what can I say, I was going for a bargain that I could finish yesterday afternoon without having to go to Joanne's which I am sure is an absolute nightmare right now.

Overall, a very quick and easy project and you really have the freedom to make whatever themed bag you want. You are only limited by your own creativity...or your stubborn determination not to go to the fabric shop.

Ok, that's all for now, I'm off to my office Christmas party...where I decided not to get dressed up in a coctail dress. I'd just rather be comfortable and warm.

My Favorite Knitting Spot

My Favorite Knitting Spot
Originally uploaded by Disentangled.

I decided to post my response to the knitting meme that I have seen going around recently. Especially since I don't really have any new knitting to show.

This is my favorite knitting spot. I usually park myself here because with the lamp on, it has the best light in the living room. We have one of those places where there aren't any lights except whatever lamps you may have plugged in, so it is usually very dark. I usually put my "Nej" knitting bag on the floor but within close reach and I balance the pattern on the arm rest of the couch. Jenny is also usually on my lap with my/her favorite blanket over her - the one with the pink kitties.

I also chose to include the mess that is my coffee table, since it really serves as a knitting "staging area". I have three other WIPs on the table at the momment, including my WGS (and its multitude of yarn balls), the Bulky Cabled Cardie, and my lace scarf (although it is sufficiently burried to not even show up in the picture). I also have handy my SnB and Vogue Knitting for quick reference as well as my Denise Needle case and my straight needle case. I've tried to keep these things in a basket-type thing (really a firewood box) to keep the coffee table clear, but it just never works out. Everything still ends up in a pile on the coffee table.

This picture also gives you a clear contrast of the ratio of my-stuff-to-B's-stuff. See the little green book on the left - yup, that's his.

I also realized that I left off a key part of my knitting space, the music. Although you can't hear it, you can at least see the CD case to the left and when I don't feel like music, there are the DVDs. So, there is always plenty to keep me entertained - a key point, since we don't have cable and our rabbit ears only pick up NBC, PBS and the WB.

I wanted to use Blogger to upload the picture so it would be super easy to load a larger version, but it completely ignored me when I clicked on the photo upload tool. So, you may have to click on the picture to actually read any of my little notes.

P.S. look at me with the PhotoShop. ;-)

Fun Article

A friend of ours is currently living abroad in Japan as an English teacher in the JET program. She started knitting before she left and I am happy to report that she has kept it going. You can read about her experiences in Japan on her blog.

She also recently shared this artcle she found about the growing popularity of knitting in Japan. Check it out here.

Surfacing

The fog has lifted and I am beginning to think clearly again. I've been sick, but I am finally on the mend. Fortunately, I managed not to cause any serious damage. I did have a couple close calls, like when I realized I scheduled a couple bills to be paid at the end of January instead of in a couple weeks. Let's just say that it is a good thing I didn't feel like knitting much, because I'm pretty sure I would have made a mess of anything I did - like the booties I tried. They are for a premie, but these are turning out virtually microscopic. I will be ripping out a little later tonight.

Fortunately I got a little energy tonight and straightened up my &^%$ that has been spread all over the house. I think I am finally ready to bring in a Christmas tree, something I usually look forward to, but have been dreading a bit this year because of the mess.

And for no other reason, here's a cute picture of Jenny:

need...water...

Can I just vent about something for a sec? What is UP with the weather? Could it BE any drier? Besides the usual allergy attack that accompanies any big change in the weather, my skin is to the point of itching and nearing the cracking phase (not cute) and my eyes have been dry and red for days. Go away, Santa Anas. Leave me alone.

One-Armed Monster

One arm down, one to go!

Note: I am trying to finish this sweater, so that I can wear it...soon. It's been really chilly here (by SoCal standards), especially at night. Plus, our heater is on the blink, which is not at all fun. I hope to share a picture of a completed Carmen...soon!

Cables Anyone?

Cabled Cardigan WIP
Originally uploaded by Disentangled.

I am officially a cabling knitter now. I cast on for Glampyre's Bulky Cabled Cardigan yesterday morning and thanks to big fat yarn and ginormous needles (19s!), I am already through my first cable repeat. I only have a few more rows and I will be ready to separate the sleeves from the body. I really dig making sweaters this way. It's so satisfying to know that once I am done all I have to do is sew on a couple buttons and seam up the sleeves.

I am using the cable-without-a-cable-needle method because it was just plain stupid to use a size 10ish cable needle to hold this huge stitches. Not that I didn't try, but due to obvious reasons the needles served virtually no purpose. I remembered my sister-in-law showed me a long time ago how to swap the stitches by pinching them and moving them around with the needles. So that's what I am doing and it is working out well.

One again I will tout the wonders of Freedom Wool. I just love the way it feels and this colorway is so much fun. I was a little concerned that maybe the cables would get lost in the color, but as you can tell - they do just fine :-) I have also been able to splice my ends so far (they splice nicely) which will help concerve yarn as well as avoid weaving in ends when I am done.

More pictures to come...

Brief Book Review (I'm taking a study break!)

I bought a copy of Loop-d-Loop - I think I want to make three pieces out of that entire book and modify a couple more. You girls are welcome to borrow it...I'm not sure if the book is necessarily worth your purchase.

Bad Dis, Bad!

Ok - So, I just realized that Insubordiknits has some Monster Hats back in stock. I know, I know. I wasn't going to buy any more yarn before Christmas. But there were monster hats! And she could sell out! Besides I felt Subtle Stubble would be the perfect misfit excessory and PayPal makes it feel like you're not really spending money.

Yarn Day

Uruguay wool
Originally uploaded by Disentangled.

Yesterday was a good day. I ventured over to the Grove for the Knit Salon and stayed the whole time! I met some great girls (even another blogger :-) and had a great time. Despite being in a social environment and my lace ADD, I got all the repeats for the first half of my lace scarf done. I also made some major progress on my Not-so-Chinese Charm Bag. After getting it out again earlier in the week (it's my current mindless knit), I was rethinking my yarn choice. Really, I don't LOVE this yarn, but it was about the right gauge and was on sale. But, after seeing about 5 inches of it knit up, I am really starting to like it. Since this is really a quick knit, I'm sure I will have a FO picture to post soon. I am also diligently knitting away on my sock, so I think I will be close to the heel turning lesson soon.

After leaving the knit salon (at after 9:00pm!), hungry, I ran home (take-out Chinese in hand) and found this waiting for me! My SP6 Secret Pal sent me some great wool that she ordered straight from Uruguay. I let out an audible exclamation of joy when I openned up the box which actually got the attention of my online gaming husband. He was like - are you ok? And I said - look at what I got! To which he replied - nerd :-) She also sent me a needle case, which is perfect because I was just trying to figure out how to manage my growing number of circulars and dpns. So, thank you Secret Pal, you did awesome!

My Big Fat Gray Sweater

Originally uploaded by whirlypurly.

I am finally seeing some progress on my chunky, burly, big, fat, yada, yada sweater. This, after many, many rounds of counting and recounting, forgetting to increase and then remembering, undoing and redoing...you know the drill. I am finding that knitting for me sometimes really should be a two-person job. The one me cannot always be relied upon to knit correctly. However, like I said, I am finally seeing the sweater, which I think shall be named Carmen, start to take shape. Yippee! To bring us up to date on this continuing saga, I'll go back to the beginning...my love for charcoal gray sweaters. I don't know what it is about them, but something about a nice, warm charcoal gray sweater in the winter is just very comforting to me. So when I started on this knitting hobby - strike that - obsession, and further, my sweater preoccupation, I have been wanting to knit up a simple, basic, chunky sweater for myself this year. I decided on the Weekend Neckdown Pullover from Knitting Pure and Simple and Brown Sheep Burly Spun in, what else, a dark charcoal color. So without further ado, here is a WIP-pic of Carmen. Since the photo was taken, I have made more progress on the body, but was too tired (lazy) to snap another photo, so this is all the glimpse you get for now. I'm really happy about the way it's turning out so far...