Sneaksleep

Black Watch Socks

2009-09-14T20:23:00.001-04:00

Despite the lack of blogging in general, and the even more severe lack
of blogging about knitting, there has, in fact, been knitting going
on. Behold, the beginning of sock #1 of a pair for my wonderful Taz,
hopefully to be completed well before the holidays, considering the
long list of other holiday knitting projects I've decided I simply
MUST knit for various loved ones. But first things first: my
sweetheart must have warm feet! The pattern is a simple toe-up crew
sock using PGR short-row toes and heels, with 2x2 ribbing for the
cuffs. The yarn is Lorna's Laces in the Black Watch colorway (in case
you couldn't guess from the post title). I'm not too keen on the
barber pole effect I'm getting, but what can I do? Hopefully the cuffs
at least will have less pooling...

Meatless Monday #7: Thai takeout

2009-08-26T08:41:00.004-04:00

There are some weeks when the days I have time to cook just don't happen to be Mondays. And although I'd like to think I'm at least a decent cook, it's going to be a while before I attempt anything like Pad See Ew with tofu on my own. It does somewhat assuage my guilt at splurging on takeout to realize that what the restaurant considers to be one portion is enough for two meals for me--which means this dinner really only cost me about $3.75.

My other meals on Meatless Monday: Grape Nuts with strawberry yogurt for breakfast, and a salad with pistahios, blue cheese and pears for lunch.

You may have noticed that I skipped a Monday. Last week on Monday, I spent the day doing a 9-mile+ hike in Shenandoah National Park with my husband, and by dinnertime I was so exhausted I just wasn't thinking about what day it was or remembering to avoid meat. I think I might have "inadvertently" eaten vegetarian one day later in the week, though, so I guess it evened out.

Couldn't have said it better myself

2009-08-11T16:44:00.004-04:00

Sadly, Transitionland has hit the nail on the head:

An idealistic young man is promising, principled and future-minded.
An idealistic young woman is naive, stereotypical, and a liability.
An outspoken young man is a ambitious, intelligent, and possessing of wonderful
entrepreneurial spirit. He should be promoted.
An outspoken young woman is a bossy bitch who doesn’t know her place in the hierarchy. She should be put in her place.

I work in a place that's so packed to the gills with idealists, I'm not sure the first part applies quite as much in my specific situation, but man, there are soooo many workplaces (even supposedly "enlightened" ones) where all of the above rings painfully true.

Meatless Monday #6: Hard-boiled Egg Masala

2009-08-11T08:51:00.002-04:00

Taz came home last night for his "summer vacation" and I wanted to welcome him back with a home-cooked meal. Even though I'm married to an Indian guy, I still haven't managed to learn to cook very many Indian dishes. Lately, I've been trying to change that, and Madhur Jaffrey's Quick and Easy Indian Cooking has been an absolute godsend. This Hard-boiled Egg Masala (which we just call "unda curry" around the house) is one of the first dishes I learned to make, and it seems to improve a bit every time. I can't share the recipe on my blog--you'll have to get the book for that--but here are some modifications I've found helpful:

Don't drain the tomatoes. In fact, rinse out the can with water, and add that too. Things can get too dried out after the recommended amount of simmering, so be prepared to add even more water after that stage.

It's ok to supplement the canned tomatoes with fresh, if you have some you need to get rid of, or if you don't have a big enough can.

Use more cilantro than you think you'll need, and set some aside for garnish.

You'll probably need more liquid in the spice paste than called for, too.

Save prep time by boiling (and even peeling) the eggs ahead of time.

Put out a dish of plain yogurt on the table for those with a lower spice tolerance to quench the flames.

Most Indian food, I've found, ages just fine, and a stay in the refrigerator overnight or even for a couple days will not hurt the flavor of this dish at all. I often cook this on a weekend, leaving only the rice cooking for the night I plan to serve it. I doubled the recipe this time, and that was enough for a dinner for two, plus two lunches for me.

My other Meatless Monday fare was much less impressive this week: raisin bran with soy milk for breakfast, overpriced organic grapes for a snack, and really awful leathery veggie gyoza-style dumplings from the gourmet-ish market around the corner from work. We also had red wine with dinner, but managed to open not one but two corked bottles before we found one that was good. Looks like it might be time to replenish the wine supply...

Random Wednesday

2009-08-05T12:27:00.007-04:00

In the spongy blob that has been my brain lately, here's what is squishing around today:

Unpaid furlough days are great, except for that whole "unpaid" thing. Good thing I'm enjoying them, because I have to take five this month (every Friday).

I am unreasonably proud of myself for getting up an hour early this morning to go for a walk/run on the trail by my house. The weather has been too hot and humid to bike to work lately (no shower at the office), but I had not replaced that activity with anything else (until today), which was NOT benefiting my waistline. Here's hoping I can keep it a daily habit!

Speaking of health, it's interesting that my food-related posts have been getting more comments lately than my knitting-related ones (except when they've been getting no comments at all). I hope people don't think this has stopped being a knitting blog!

It is totally unfair that I should have so many mosquito bites when I haven't even had the joy of camping this summer.

I have no idea what to get my dad for his birthday, which is tomorrow. I mean, I know I should get him a book or a CD, but he already has sooo many of both, how do I choose? He is not the sort of person you give a gift certificate to, either.

Now that, post-layoffs, I am basically ~~supposed to be~~ doing the work of two people at the office, my will to actually do said work has almost totally evaporated. I care deeply about the issues I work on, but I would still rather be knitting, reading, soaking in a nice cool pool, or some combination thereof. Not that I'm complaining about still being employed. I'm just sayin'.

Another factor that might be contributing to #6 is the fact that Taz is coming home for his summer vacation for 2 weeks, and he gets here on Monday. The closer we get to Monday, the more that becomes the ONLY thing I can think about.

Meatless Monday #5: Salad with Candied Pecans and Blueberries

2009-08-03T21:34:00.003-04:00

This is one of my favorite I-made-it-up-one-evening-with-what-was-in-the-fridge salads, and it's not as time-consuming as you might think. The dressing is homemade too, and that's waaay less time consuming than you might think.

Salad

- lettuce or mixed greens, washed and dried

- a handful of blueberries

- a handful of pecans

- white granulated sugar

- a couple tablespoons of crumbled gorgonzola cheese

Throw the pecans in a cold frying pan and cover them with a generous sprinkling of sugar. Turn on the heat to a low to medium level, and stir as the sugar melts and begins to caramelize. If you have a silicone spatula, that's the ideal implement because it's both non-stick and heatproof. Make sure neither the pecans nor the sugar burn, and once the sugar is melted and has started to brown, turn off the heat. Spread the pecans out to cool on some wax paper. While they're cooling, put the lettuce/greens, blueberries, and gorgonzola in a salad bowl. Then make the dressing.

Dressing

- one clove of garlic

- 6 or so black peppercorns

- a pinch or two of salt

- 1 teaspoon dried basil

- balsamic vinegar

- wine vinegar

- extra virgin olive oil

With a mortar and pestle, crush the garlic, peppercorns, basil and salt together. Then add about a quarter cup of balsamic vinegar. Pour the mixture into a jar or other container with some extra room (and a lid). Add a dash of wine vinegar (mainly to dilute the intensity of the balsamic), and top it off with a quarter cup of olive oil. Put on the lid and shake vigorously. Pour a few tablespoons of the dressing over the salad, add the now-cool pecans, toss, and serve. A nice big bowl of this is more than enough for dinner for me, no "main dish" required!

In search of a Contrast Color

2009-08-01T17:00:00.014-04:00

It's time to get a start on my holiday knitting, and maybe also pretend I'm actually participating in the Summer of Socks 2009 while I'm at it (it would be nice to finish at least one pair of socks before SoS ends). I have several people I'm planning to knit socks for, but I need help with my yarn choices.

1. Socks for S

This pair is going to be for a man with size 10 feet, and I plan knit the Diamond Waffle pattern (though probably with short-row heels and toes), and I want to use this yarn:

It's Colinette Jitterbug, and according to the ball band the skein has 267m. Although that's more in yards, it's still under 300 yds. So I'm planning to do the heels and toes in a contrasting color. These are the options:

I have plenty of the Lorna's Laces, but the yarns feel like a fairly different gauge (the LL seems thinner, although according to the ball-band info for each, the Jitterbug actually knits up at a slightly finer gauge), and the ply and texture are a bit different.

The Cherry Tree Hill is a similar gauge and texture/ply, but I was planning to use that for a different pair, for someone with perennially cold feet who will want socks as tall as I can knit them.

The Wildfoote (sorry that pic is so dark--the colorway is Brown Sugar, and you can see the colors better here) is closer in texture to the Lorna's Laces than to the Jitterbug, but I have plenty of it. I'm just not sure if the color combo with the green would look too Christmasy. This guy does celebrate Christmas, but I wouldn't want him to feel he could only wear these socks once a year!

2. Socks for H

I'm planning to knit the Herringbone Rib socks (here's a Rav link with better pics), using the blue Cherry Tree Hill shown above (approx 420 yds/sk). Or I might possibly knit Leyburn instead (here's a Rav link with better pics). If I use some of the Cherry Tree Hill as the contrast yarn in the socks for S, will I have enough to make nice tall socks for a woman's size 8 1/2 feet? If not, what do you think about doing the heels and toes in this color?

It's also Cherry Tree Hill, so no concerns about gauge or texture not matching. I think the colors go well together, and H likes fun bright colors in her socks. My only worry is if a contrasting heel/toe will look weird with the herringbone or the stranded pattern of either of the sock options. Thoughts?

3. Socks for me

I have been considering using the turquoise Cherry Tree Hill above to make a pair of Pomatomus for myself. Will I have enough if I use some for the heels and toes on socks for H? Another yarn I've been considering using for Pomatomus is this (Artyarns Ultramerino):

But I worry that the pattern won't show to its best advantage in a non-solid yarn.

4. Socks for C

Finally, I'm planning to knit some fairly large socks (I think men's size 12?) with this other colorway of Lorna's Laces:

I could just do basic ribbed crew socks, but I'm trying to think if there's anything a little more interesting I can do that won't be obscured by the variegation, and also won't be too weird for a guy. This is a man who's definitely in touch with his feminine side, but that doesn't mean he chooses to express it through his wool socks (that's what the platform heels are for).

There are actually two or three more pairs of socks (including one for Taz) I'm hoping to knit in time for the holidays, but let's not get carried away right now. I only have so many pairs of dpns! I am itching to case on for something sockish, though, so any advice on my contrast color issues will be much appreciated!

Meatless Monday #4: Zucchini Tofu Stir-fry

2009-07-27T23:37:00.001-04:00

I've mentioned this in past posts, but here you finally have a photo. It seems almost silly to write down the recipe, since this is one of those things I tend to make with whatever is on hand, but it came out especially yummy this time, so here you have it:

Ingredients:
- one medium zucchini, sliced
- half a pint of mushrooms, white or baby Bella, sliced
- half a container of firm tofu, cubed
- three tablespoons of cabbage, shredded or thinly sliced
- one large clove of garlic, minced or pressed
- 3/4 teaspoon of fresh ginger, minced
- a dash of sherry
- a few drops of rice vinegar
- soy sauce
- black pepper to taste
- olive oil

Heat up the olive oil in a wok or frying pan, toss in the mushrooms and zucchini. While they begin to brown, put the tofu cubes in a bowl with some soy sauce. Once the mushrooms and zucchini have begun to soften, toss in the cabbage, then use a garlic press to add the garlic (or mince it very finely if you don't have a press) and add the ginger too. Let cook for a minute or two, then add the rest of the ingredients and cook for a minute or two more. Stir gently to make sure all the flavors are well blended and all the veggies are cooked. Serve with rice.

Or you could be like me and skip the rice. I like the texture it adds, and the way it soaks up the extra sauce, but I just don't need the extra carbs (and I had forgotten to put any rice on before starting the stir-fry). This makes enough for two portions, so for me that means a dinner and a lunch. Yummmmm!

Oh yeah, and a very belated Meatless Monday update (#3)

2009-07-26T19:29:00.004-04:00

Last Monday, this is what I ate for dinner--my fave potato salad, but with beets from my mom's garden mixed in. I had to make a ton, because both the beets and the potatoes were about to go bad. I ate this for lunch and dinner at least two days in a row (and no, I'm not planning to eat potato salad again this coming week). I think I had cereal for breakfast (again), and lunch was leftover stir-fry of beet greens, chard, and mushrooms. So, not the most exciting Meatless Monday, but since I was home sick Tuesday and Wednesday, I had more time to cook. That meant that later in the week I feasted on other meatless fare, including more of my mom's basil walnut pesto, another variation on the zucchini pancakes (what can I say? they're yummy!), macaroni and cheese with fresh tomato, a tofu smoothie, a pecan-gorgonzola-blueberries-baby greens salad with homemade balsamic vinagrette, and biscuits. Don't worry, not all at the same meal.

I was out of town this weekend, so I didn't get to the farmers' market, but I still have a zucchini left from last week, and I think I might try experimenting with legumes (probably masoor dal?) and maybe quinoa this week. Wish me luck!

Swatching

2009-07-26T19:17:00.001-04:00

This is my new Woven Gems Inca Cotton (the colorway is "Desert") that I got from Sangeeta when I went to visit her and watch HP6 together. I love it. So much that despite having so many WIPs that are *this* close to being done, I chose to spend my limited knitting time today swatching it to see what hoodie-sweatshirty type pattern I might be able to knit with it (possibly Under the Hoodie?--that's a Rav link). I'm getting 17 sts to 4 inches on US 7s, but I'm thinking of going down to 6s and seeing what happens. Meanwhile, any suggestions?

Meatless Monday #2

2009-07-14T13:16:00.004-04:00

Sorry, no pretty pics for this post. But I am happy to report that my fridge is bursting at the seams with fresh local veggies, thanks to my mom's garden and a trip to the farmers' market with my parents, who came for a wonderful surprise visit with their dog Ozzie on Sunday.

Meatless Monday's menu
Breakfast was honey-nut cheerios, currants, soy milk and a Danactive. Lunch was mom's potato salad and a peach. Afternoon snack was applesauce. And dinner was linguine with sauteed baby bellas, mom's basil-walnut pesto, and extra parmesan. Doesn't sound all that exciting the way I described it, and without photos you can't see how yummy it all was, but I assure you, it was delicious. Nothing like Mom's cooking!

Planning for the week
Now comes the rest of the week. Although I haven't vowed to be meatless the rest of the week, I have an amazing amount of fresh veggies I will need to use up. Suggestions are welcome! Here is my inventory:

3 large-ish beets, with greens attached

4 or 5 scallions

about 1 lb of new potatoes

8 or 10 huge leaves of chard (I swear, they're 2 feet long!)

1 small sweet onion

1 medium red onion

a decent-sized bunch of basil

1 1/2 pints of baby bella mushrooms

2 tomatoes

3 or 4 pale green zucchinis (one very large, the rest fairly small)

Additionally, I have a package of tofu, some frozen trout, a dozen fresh eggs, and 2 hard-boiled eggs. I am thinking stir-fry for sure one night using some zucchini and mushrooms with the tofu, and probably fish another night, but beyond that, I don't know. More zucchini pancakes? Cold potato soup? Quiche?

Spain Socks

2009-07-12T19:59:00.003-04:00

I didn't have time in Spain to do much knitting, but I did still manage to come home with one more FO: my Spain Socks! I re-started these a bit before my trip to Spain back in March/April to help Taz get settled, and I finished them on the way over to Barcelona on this last trip. They're basic toe-ups with PGR short-row toes and heels, and a 2x2 ribbed cuff. I knit them on US#1's, using Socks that Rock in the Knitter Without Borders colorway, purchased at MDSW 2008. Now I just have to figure out if any of my clothes will match these socks!

Alpaca Saddle

2009-07-10T07:50:00.006-04:00

Oh my goodness, there were definitely moments when I wondered if I was ever going to be able to write this post reporting that the sweater for Taz is done. But it is!!! I wish I had better pictures, but the lighting was far from ideal in his Barcelona apartment, and I was working with an unfamiliar camera. I also wish he weren't so shy and would have let me show his face in these pictures so you could get the full effect of how handsome he looks in his new sweater.

Here's a Rav link to the project info. The pattern is from an old 1966 pattern booklet called “Men’s Classics” put out by Bucilla. I found it a bit difficult to read at first because the pattern is laid out almost like a chart, with columns--one with directions, and the others with the stitch count (or whatever) for each size. It's also written for two different yarn weights, depending on what you prefer. I didn't really do any mods, other than forgetting to use smaller needles for the ribbing. I would have expected so much straight stockinette (in gray, no less) on such small needles to get pretty boring pretty fast, but it truly didn't. I'm sure part of that was because it was such a labor of love (awwww), but I also really found it meditative, and the yarn was so soft and nice to work with, I actually found myself looking forward to knitting on this. That fact could have something to do with the fact that I actually finished a sweater project in less than a year. (Ask me how long it took me to knit Samus, or where I'm at with my other sweater projects).

Anyway, the verdict on this sweater from my end is that it was a joy to knit, and I'm proud of how it turned out. The verdict from Taz is that he loves the color and the softness, it doesn't itch, it seems to fit well, and it's going to keep him so warm he won't be able to wear it until November or December in Barcelona. I'll take that as a compliment!

Meatless Monday: first report

2009-06-29T21:02:00.004-04:00

This isn't actually the first time I've done a meatless Monday, but I think if I report back about it every week, it will encourage me to be better with it. So how did I do today?

Let's work backwards. Just before I left work, I was taken with a craving for Chinese-style scallion pancakes. But I knew I didn't have any scallions in the house, so I started to reconsider. Then I saw the comment from yesterday's food post which had a link to this zucchini pancake recipe. Not exactly Chinese-style, but I thought I might be able to adapt it.

When I got home, I immediately set about grating the zucchini, summer squash, and onion. I ended up making the pancakes almost exactly as the recipe said, except that I used cheddar instead of Parmesan, and I was very generous with the basil. Instead of topping the fritters with diced tomatoes, however, I decided to give it an Asian twist by using one of my favorite made-up sauces, which is almost equal parts sriracha, rice vinegar, and light soy sauce, with a sprinkle of sugar and a bit of water. I had to go light on the sauce, though, because it almost overpowered the flavors of the veggies in the fritters. I had enough fritters leftover for breakfast or lunch tomorrow, too!

For breakfast today I had Kashi puffed grain cereal with dried currants and soy milk. Pretty boring, but definitely meatless. My midmorning snack was an oatmeal cookie. Lunch was a homemade potato salad, which is really the only kind I will eat. Not to be a snob about one of the Great American Summer Side Dishes, but I find typical supermarket potato salad to be too dry, too starchy, and waaaay too sweet. Here's how my mom taught me to make potato salad (with some adaptations from me):

1. Boil up some new potatoes* (cut into at least halves, or smaller if they're on the big side), but don't overdo it with the boiling. Cook them just until you can easily skewer them with a fork or paring knife.

2. Immediately after draining them, put the potatoes in a bowl and get them soaking in several tablespoons of cider vinegar.

3. While the taters are soaking up the yummy vinegar, chop up some fresh dill, a bit of onion, and some celery. If you have some parsley lying around, chop that up too.

4. If the potatoes seem to have way too much vinegar still pooled around them, you can drain some off, but otherwise, just dump your chopped herbs and veggies in with the taters.

5. Add a few tablespoons of mayo, and stir.

6. Salt and pepper to taste, and voila!

I wish I had taken a picture of the potato salad too, but I had already eaten it all by the time I thought of it. So, all that yummy food, and I still have two tomatoes and several potatoes left over from my Sunday at the farmers' market.

*My mom says russets are better because they absorb more flavor, but I really enjoy the smooth texture of new potatoes, and I like the color added by leaving the skin on, which you can't really do with russets.

Finally, some knitting

2009-06-28T13:55:00.002-04:00

This is the reason I haven't posted anything about knitting (or anything else, for that matter) in the past couple weeks. I had been feverishly knitting on this Big Bad Baby Blanket (in Berroco Comfort) for Mazhalai. I don't know why I thought I could finish it in a week and a half, with after work commitments most nights, and cooking to do for the Saturday evening baby shower as well.

But right up until Saturday morning, I was convinced I'd find a way to do it. I was even knitting the borders and the knit stitch sections in continental style to make it go faster (I would have done it all in continental, but I realized early on in the project that my gauge is really really inconsistent when I purl in continental). Anyway, at some point as I was knitting furiously while getting my 9am pedicure, I saw the light. After my pedicure I went to the mall and bought some onesies and other baby clothes, and when I came home all I did was cook the unda curry I had committed to bring (recipe from this Madhur Jaffrey book).

But at the shower, I showed Mazhalai my progress, so the cat is out of the bag now, and all I have to do is actually finish the blanket sometime before, or at least very soon after, the baby comes. And best of all, I cam finally stop hiding from my own blog.

In preparation for Meatless Monday

2009-06-28T13:46:00.003-04:00

Ok, so Sangeeta and I have a deal with each other to try and be healthful while also reducing our negative impact on the environment by reducing the amount of meat in our diets and dedicating at least one day a week to not eating any meat.

Lucky for me, the West End Farmers' Market is on Sundays. My haul this week, from top to bottom: summer squash, zuchinni, heirloom tomatoes, basil, and new potatoes. I have to use all this in 2 days, since I leave for Spain on Wednesday, so I won't have much space for meat in my
diet even if I wanted to!

The newest fashion

2009-06-16T17:38:00.002-04:00

I had to share this wonderful photo with you. As much as I love yarn cakes, I have to agree, as a hairpiece, it's fugly.

Type A

2009-06-04T23:32:00.004-04:00

Well, it took me long enough, but I finally have my whole stash catalogued on Ravelry. It feels great, even though it took me forever to do! Take a look if you want, but hands off--almost everything is destined for one project or another. Except maybe the Red Heart (please don't laugh). If you ~~pay me enough to cover the rent for the rest of the year~~ you're really nice to me, though, there are a few things I might consider swapping or gifting.

This is how Sundays should be

2009-05-31T13:07:00.001-04:00

I biked to the West End farmer's market this morning, and this is my haul. Clockwise from top left: snap peas, strawberries, asparagus, beets, new potatoes, zuchinni & summer squash, and Swiss chard. Apparently, Ben likes strawberries--he was licking one just before I took the photo.

Even though it's not the biggest farmer's market around, this one is by far the closest to me, and it's got a more relaxed atmosphere than some others. It certainly had everything I needed! Now I have no excuse not to cook at home and eat right this week.

Guard Cat

2009-05-31T09:55:00.003-04:00

I was peacefully doing the breakfast dishes this morning, when suddenly I hear a growl--that deep, moaning growl that cats reserve for those they would like to banish to the deepest pits of hell. Now, Ivy and Ben have their tiffs and their daily wrestling matches, but they haven't growled at each other that way since the first week Ben arrived (a good beating and a puncture wound to his side taught him who was boss right away, and all he's done to Ivy since then is at most act like an annoying little brother). So I could not figure out what could be causing one of them to make the demon-growl.

That's when I remembered that I had left the living room window open for some fresh air, and so the cats could also smell and hear the birds they were watching at the feeder. And wouldn't you know, when I went to the window, there was a big black and white neighbor cat sitting on the outer windowsill serenely taunting Ben by his mere presence in Ben's Territory. That, and Ben was probably jealous because the other cat could, if he so chose, actually eat some of the birds at the feeder without having to scratch his way through a wire screen with declawed* front paws. So I got the spray bottle and sprayed the other cat through the screen, and he ran away. But Ben was so riled up that he continued yowling and pacing around the living room with his tail puffed up, and when Ivy walked in to see what was up, he turned on her. The she began her high-pitched scaredy-cat mewling and tried to retreat under the dining table. I was worried we were headed for a bloodbath, so I sprayed them again to distract them, and then tried to herd Ben into the basement so I could close the door. He was so keyed-up that he almost attacked me when I came near him, but I eventually got him in the basement, and after 10 minutes with the door shut and the cats separated, peace was restored, and all three of us were miraculously injury-free. Phew!

*Disclaimer: This is not a procedure that we put our cats through. Each of their former owners did, and since the first cat we got (Ivy) was declawed, we specifically sought out a second cat who had already been declawed so that neither one would have an unfair advantage. I am NOT a proponent of declawing, and would not myself choose to put an animal through such a painful and deforming procedure.

You don't know what you've got...til you drag of out of the closet and make a huge pile of it

2009-05-28T01:19:00.001-04:00

This is my stash. Well, minus about 6 WIP's, but basically, this is my stash. I am in the process of readying the guest room for my summer subletter, and that means emptying out the closet. After dragging all the yarn out of the closet and piling it on the bed, I had only two thoughts: "it's more than I realized" and "but thank goodness I'm still hundreds of skeins away from SABLE.*" I decided it deserved a picture.

Ben very graciously offered to be in the picture to give a sense of scale. You'll notice he's perched atop a set of plastic drawers (full of yarn, of course). That's a little something I bought back when I thought my yarn obsession could be controlled by limiting "convenient" storage space. Don't laugh--I really thought that! Seeing all this makes me feel way better about being on a yarn diet until next April. I (might) not run out. Now I just have to get my act together to catalogue and photograph it all for Ravelry...

*Stash Accumulation Beyond Life Expectancy (coined by Stephanie, of course)

Long live the Queen

2009-05-19T12:40:00.003-04:00

I don't know how I missed this, but thanks to Rabbitch, I just learned that yesterday was Freddy Mercury Day. The music of Queen and Freddy Mercury saw me through the best and the worst of my high school years, and it is some of the only music that I listened to then that I still blast and sing along to at the top of my lungs every time I hear it. And some interesting trivia: did you know he was a Parsi?

Look over there! Alpacas!

2009-05-14T14:22:00.002-04:00

Lacking anything new to show you, and also still not having finished seaming the alpaca sweater for Taz, I offer you these two cuties I saw at MDSW two weeks ago (which I now realize I don't have as many pictures from as I thought I did).

There hasn't been much knitting, an there has been much stress, mainly about how many of us at work are still going to have jobs to go to a month from now. It recently occurred to me that if I were giving myself more knitting time, I would not be giving myself an ulcer (no, I don't really think I have one). Lesson learned: I'm taking tomorrow off!

Not ready to say goodbye

2009-05-03T23:25:00.002-04:00

I love this yarn and this sweater sooo much, I almost don't want the joy to end (which might be why it's nearly 6 months late). I'm almost done seaming Taz's sweater. I might even finish it before his birthday on Cinco de Mayo, but he won't get it until my next visit to Spain--I'm not entrusting this to any postal or delivery service!

More soon on MDSW, including pics of my treasures and maybe some cute animals.

My commute

2009-04-28T00:05:00.004-04:00

I was proud of myself for biking both to and from work yesterday (12.25 miles each way). It had been a couple months since I was last on the bike, and I hadn't realized how much I missed it until I got on it this morning. I get such a different sense of my own neighborhood when I bike through it. I also love to watch the seasons progress in the different areas I pass through on my way to work. Sometimes I try to count how many different kinds of birds I see on my ride, but today I got distracted after the redwinged blackbird and the mockingbird (who made the sounds of about 6 different birds as I rode past). I was a bit out of shape, so the trip took me longer than usual, but I got as much exercise as if I spent 2 hours in the gym, and I didn't have to take out any extra time to do it!

Where on earth has she been?

2009-04-16T11:56:00.004-04:00

Well, most recently, I was in Barcelona:

Barcelona at sunset from Parc Guell. Pic thanks to this site.

But only for 3 weeks, not for the year-plus that I've been absent from the blog. There's no way you want to hear about everything that happened in the past year (and no way my fingers would hold out to type that long either). Suffice to say, it's been busy, especially on the job end of things, and there hasn't been nearly enough knitting, but it's been good.

Now for the reason I was in Barcelona: Taz is doing a 12-month MBA program there, and I was helping him get settled in. We spent a lot of time apartment hunting, and during the first two weeks, he was in an intensive Spanish class for 6 hours a day. We finally found an awesome apartment right before I had to leave to come back, but the long search allowed us to get to know some neighborhoods of Barcelona that one never normally sees as just a tourist, and we also met some really cool people that I think he will remain friends with.

In between the end of the Spanish class and finishing the apartment search, we managed to get away for a 4-day trip for our 3rd anniversary (of wedding #1). We spent the first two nights in Girona, which is an absolutely gorgeous medieval town, with most of the walls still intact, so we walked around them one evening. The second two nights we spent in Figueres, which is home to the Dali Theater and Museum. However our first day there, instead of going to the museum, we drove the short distance to Cadaques, out on the coast, to see Dali's summer house in nearby Port Lligat, and also go for a hike on the easternmost point in Spain. The second day was rainy, so we went to the very crowded museum. My favorite part was a series of paintings of stones that formed other figures. This photo doesn't do them justice, but it's the only one I could find.

The last couple days in Barcelona, after we moved into the new place, were spent grocery shopping and getting to know the new neighborhood. It is really cool to be able to picture where he lives and goes about his daily life. Saying goodbye at the airport was one of the hardest things I've done, and the intensity with which I miss him doesn't seem to be lessening as the days pass, but we are talking on the phone as often as possible, and focusing on my next visit, which is only about 2 months away. Meanwhile, I'm trying to get my head back into my work, and also into my knitting. I'm currently seaming a sweater for Taz, and am close to having several other FOs to show you. Stay tuned--I promise not to go away for so long again!!

Hanami

2008-03-30T09:58:00.002-04:00

The National Cherry Blossom Festival is this week, and they are just gorgeous. I went walking with an old friend among the blossoms on Friday evening before it got too cold, and watched the sunset over the cherry-tree-ringed Tidal Basin. A peacful end to a hectic week (or several, if my blogging is any indication). It made me want to go buy some pale pink laceweight yarn and cast on for Hanami.

What I did on my day off

2008-02-19T18:42:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, after a couple hours struggling (and failing) to get my new sewing machine properly threaded and operating, I sat down and (finally!!) finished hand-sewing the zipper for Samus. Words cannot express how ~~relieved~~ proud I feel to finally be done with this first sweater ever for myself. Appropriately, a fellow knitter was the first to see me wearing it--I spent the afternoon with Sangeeta knitting and drooling over yummy new yarn in Fredericksburg. A perfect day off!

Free like a dragonfly

2008-02-13T10:45:00.003-05:00

I got a call from my mom very early in the morning today, and as soon as I heard the phone ring, I knew why she was calling. My grandmother had been admitted to the hospital earlier this week for pneumonia, and last night, the pneumonia won. She was 94, and if she had made it one more week, she and my grandfather would have celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary. But it was time. Grandma once said that she imagined dying to be like a dragonfly, finally free to leave the beautiful pond of life, drifting away on iridescent wings.

Grandma in late 2006, showing off the socks I knit her. She wore them very nearly
every day for the rest of her life.

If it weren't for this amazing woman, I wouldn't have had a role model of a woman who read voraciously, swam everyday well into her 80s, played basketball, almost always voted the opposite of her husband, and signed up for computer classes when she was in her late 70s. I wouldn't know how to knit. I would not be the person I am. I am so grateful for her life.

Hope

2008-02-10T17:36:00.000-05:00

In case you haven't seen it yet:

Regardless of who you plan to vote for, just make sure you get out there and vote in your primary! This is the most exciting election I've ever had the chance to vote in, and you can bet I'll be getting up nice and early on Tuesday to get to the polls. For the first time in my political life, I feel real hope, and I sincerely cannot wait to vote!

Speaking of luck...

2008-02-02T08:20:00.000-05:00

This is going to be a fairly short post. No photos, no long discussions of yarn or patterns, and no funny stories. OK, well maybe one story.

Once upon a time there was a girl who had just finished grad school. She loved what she had studied, and had really enjoyed the prestigious internship she did while in school. But despite her solid credentials, it took her over 7 months to find a job. When she did find one, it involved a long commute, but she didn't mind because that just meant more knitting time. However, after a few months in this new job, she became very bored and started to realize that there wasn't really very much for a person in that job to do, and definitely no room for taking initiative on new projects. A few months after that, the organization where she worked realized the same thing and decided to lay her off. She was very sad, but with the support of her family and friends, she got back into the job search. This time, it lasted 6 months, and when she did find something, it was only a temporary position. But it was with such a great organization, she decided to accept it anyway, and move several states away to start work.

She tried to view the temporary position as a "foot in the door" at this place she'd always wanted to work. But when the first temporary position was followed by three other temporary positions, she started to feel rather downhearted, wondering if they were just toying with her, and didn't actually like her enough to keep her around long-term. She kept applying to permanent jobs within the organization and kept getting rejected. And each new temporary position was offered just days before the previous one was due to end (or even a few days after), so she was always on edge about whether she'd have to embark on another half-year job search. It was exhausting.

But then one day, she saw an internal posting for a permanent job that really seemed like a great fit. She put a lot of thought into her cover letter, and prepared very thoroughly for her interview. Then she got a second interview, and thought she did pretty well in that. She felt hopeful, but didn't want to get too excited only to be crushed when she didn't get it. And then finally, it happened. She was offered the job. And a raise. And an office with a window, one that she finally felt authorized to decorate and really move into. And best of all, it was at this wonderful place where she'd been for a year and a half and come to love the wonderful people doing their wonderful work. She was so happy she could cry.

Lucky 7

2008-01-26T13:45:00.000-05:00

A month and a half. Yikes. I could claim holiday madness, or the fact that I got a cold over the holidays that I'm only just now getting over, or that I've been so busy learning how to do my new (yet alomst-over) three-week job while interviewing for other ones, or that I hurt my back last weekend and couldn't sit up long enough to blog.

And all of that would be true. But the real reason I haven't blogged is because there haven't been any FO's. Not only have there not been any FO's recently, but if I think about it, the "newest" of my WIPs was cast on in June. All the rest are more than a year old, and it's just sad. I was so excited that I was going to finish Samus and cast on for Autumn Rose, but the ribbon placket for Samus has been the bane of my existence. One side went in fine, but I am currently re-sewing the second one for the third time, since I can never seem to get it to be the same length as the other one, no matter how carefully I measure. I am nowhere near being ready to install the zipper itself.

Finally, on Wednesday, just before I went to Late Night at my LYS, I cracked. The hat I was wearing totally did not match my scarf, and it wasn't handknit either! This is because before the holidays, I very sadly lost a lovely hat that my future sister-in-law knit for me last year. And the other hat I had knit for myself two years before has not been seen since we moved. I was desperately in need of a new hat! At least, that's what I told myself. But what I really needed was a new project, that I could finish quickly and use right away. Enter Knitgirl and the rest of the Late Night gang. KG recommended some Malabrigo worsted, and while everyone was helping me pick a color, she went onto Ravelry and quickly found me a perfect pattern: the Lucky 7 Hat by Knittywhipped.

"Lucky 7" hat in Malabrigo worsted (Damask Rose colorway), using magic loop on US #8 42" Addi Turbos

This hat was a dream come true. I cast on at the shop on Wednesday night, knit a bit on the bus ride home, a bit on my morning commute Thursday, and both my commutes on Friday. After another couple hours in front of Law and Order and the Australian Open women's final, I had my wonderful, perfect hat. There were no errors in the pattern, and it was very easy to follow. The only problem I encountered is that Knittywhipped definitely has a smaller head than me, so I wasn't able to don my new hat as soon as I wove in the last end. However, a good blocking seems to have taken care of any size issues, and I feel like a million bucks for finally having finished something. Who knows? Maybe this was the boost of confidence I needed to finally (dare I say it?) finish Samus. I am feeling pretty lucky!

Reasons to be happy

2007-12-06T15:42:00.000-05:00

Top ten reasons I am happy today:

10. The headache I woke up with this morning, although still with me, is not a migraine.
9. The snow that fell yesterday has not completely melted yet.
8. Because our intern at work has her last day tomorrow (sad), we took her out for coffee this afternoon (happy) and congratulated her on her new, paying job (happy).
7. Even though every single one of my WIPs seems to be plotting my demise, at least I have yarn. And I do still love the WIPs and can't wait to finish them, even if they are misbehaving right now (more on them in the next post).
6. I am at work at all today. (My last day was supposed to be Nov. 30th, but I was given ~~a stay of execution~~ an extension until the end of the year).
5. There is a happy hour after work today, and I plan on attending, headache or not. After all, yesterday was Repeal Day.
4. I just got my 15th "bingo" in the Facebook version of Scrabulous. It was SCHEMERS fo 82 points, thank you very much. Who, me, addicted?
3. We're going to put up the holiday decorations this weekend. There will also be baking, and possibly singing. The only thing that could make it better would be snow and a fireplace.
2. I get to see my husband tomorrow.
1. I'm alive, employed (for now), healthy, and loved. And I have yarn and books.

Sweetness is...

2007-11-29T09:13:00.000-05:00

...my husband. Look at the birthday surprise that was waiting on the doorstep when I got home last night! This gorgeous bouquet topped off a day full of birthday wishes by email, Facebook, card, and even international long distance phone calls. I feel so loved!

Sorry for being MIA with the blog for so long. I promise I'll have time next week for some much-needed catching up!

Won't you be my neighbor?

2007-10-24T21:01:00.000-04:00

Yummy! The sumptuous buffet of Neighborhood Yarns that we dined upon tonight at Knit Happens. Being bad never felt so...soft. Aaah!

Sleepy time

2007-10-22T22:26:00.001-04:00

Ivy is sooo happy to have a nice comfy shoebox to snooze in.

Unbloggable

2007-10-16T22:37:00.001-04:00

I think Samus is afraid of me. This is as far as he's peeked out of his bag all week. How, you ask, can I be sooo close to the end of a project and yet seem unable to finish it? I scared him off, that's the only possible explanation. Hopefully I'll coax him out of his bag and onto the blocking board by the end of the week.

Meanwhile, with Samus cowering in his bag, I've been plenty busy: the VA Fall Fiber Festival with Sangeeta, finally getting on Facebook and rediscovering old friends, a 7 mile hike with Taz, several dinners and lunches with friends, a TON of work at my "real" (paid) job, and an unblogable surprise project that I didn't take pictures of and can't tell you about until next week.

So, USB cable gods willing, I should have some good knitting and stash growth pics for you then. Until then, I'm taking suggestions on how to sweet talk an almost-finished cardigan into taking a bath.

Free Burma!

2007-10-04T09:37:00.000-04:00

"May we be free of torture, may there be peace in hearts and minds as our kindness spreads around the world."

You may have heard about the peaceful protests led by Buddhist monks in Burma in recent weeks, in which monasteries were raided, many people were shot, and many more arrested. When the people of Burma last staged mass pro-democracy protests back in 1988, the military junta murdered thousands.

Today is the International Bloggers' Day for Burma. You can learn more about it by clicking on the image above. They have a petition you can sign, and links to more information and online actions. Please note that clicking on the image above will take you to an "entry" page for the site with just one image on it. If you click on this image, it will take you inside the site.

Sooo close!

2007-10-02T22:56:00.001-04:00

Ok, so it didn't get done in time for the Harlot (photos of a room full of knitter's clapping for me when I finished seaming it forthcoming upon discovery of USB cable), but I am so close to finishing Samus, I can taste it! The i-cord edging is done except for the cuffs, and the ends are all woven in, so tonight I went to the store to buy the ribbon I need when I install the zipper. A huge craft store, with aisle upon aisle of posterboard, fake flowers, glue guns, and beads, and this was the only ribbon I could find that even came close to matching the yarn or the zipper. Think it'll work?

Incentives

2007-09-18T23:39:00.001-04:00

This is Samus. I started it as my Knitting Olympics project (the personal challenge was tackling cables for the first time). Yes, it has been on the needles that long. But now I have two incentives to finish it ASAP. First, as you know, is Autumn Rose--I'm not allowed to cast on for my new obsession until I finish this. The second is that the Yarn Harlot is coming to town on Thursday. The Harlot herself, founder of the Knitting Olympics. Think I can sew on the other sleeve, knit approximately 57 miles of i-cord edging, install my first zipper, block, and dry this in under 48 hours?

Watership Down

2007-09-12T10:29:00.000-04:00

I saw this quiz on Mafia's blog, and I just had to take it. And I was thrilled to discover that I am one of my favorite books ever. I have read this one more times than I can count, and I get something new out of it each time:

You're Watership Down!

by Richard Adams

Though many think of you as a bit young, even childish, you're
actually incredibly deep and complex. You show people the need to rethink their
assumptions, and confront them on everything from how they think to where they
build their houses. You might be one of the greatest people of all time. You'd
be recognized as such if you weren't always talking about talking rabbits.

Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

Stardust and charlie horses

2007-09-10T12:01:00.000-04:00

This weekend was for showing Taz's mom around NYC. My folks decided to join us too, which was fun. We began our Saturday to the sounds of the Broadway hopefuls who double as waitstaff at the Stardust Diner just north of Times Square. Then we walked through Central Park and saw Strawberry Fields, took the subway down to Chinatown and walked some more, met up with a family friend for dinner, and walked some more. Exhausted, we fell asleep as soon as we got home. Then I woke up in the middle of the night with searing pain in my calves, and my dad's legs and feet were really swollen, too, he said. Needless to say, everyone voted for less walking when we had brunch, saw Ground Zero, and ate dosa for dinner on Sunday!

Three

2007-08-27T21:10:00.000-04:00

You might recall that Taz and I had been dating for three years and three months when he proposed to me, on January 3rd, at 3am, on my third week in India. Apparently, the number three is lucky for us. And now, in keeping with the "three" theme, we've been married three times:

For more pics from the US party, click here.

I think the third time's the charm, though, so I don't anticipate us planning any more wedding-like events anytime soon. What I do anticipate is years of happiness as we share life's adventures. Thank you for loving me enough to marry me three times, baby! I love you!

Ow.

2007-08-21T16:56:00.000-04:00

I'm no stranger to pain. Ok, so I have yet to give birth, but I've had my share of nausea-inducing migraines. And while, unlike with a migraine, I am actually still functional at the moment, whatever this thing is that I have in my eye hurts waay more than I thought possible. I decided a picture of some ibuprophen was preferable to a picture of my eye. Trust me. Yes, I have an appointment with the doctor tomorrow.

Late to the party

2007-08-16T13:10:00.000-04:00

I'm sure I'm the last person on earth to discover and listen to a Lime 'n' Violet podcast, but Oh. My. God. are they hilarious! I first learned about them from Holly, but immediately thereafter became so busy that I'm amazed I had time to breathe, much less download a podcast. This past weekend I finally got around to downloading one, and yesterday I listened to it on my metro ride from work to Late Night. I think my fellow metro riders must have thought I was deranged the way I was laughing to myself. And humming along to a very weird song about Harry Potter. It was soooo good to see the Late Night gang again after more than two months. Wine, cookies, knitting, cute dogs, and witty company--the perfect way to spend a Wednesday evening!

In other news, no pics yet, but I am finally working on the heel of the first Snicket sock, and the sleeve caps for Samus. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel! I am absolutely determined to get done with Samus so I can focus on Autumn Rose.

My wonderful mother-in-law arrives tomorrow from India, and we can't wait to see her. So tonight, I have to finish getting the house as ready as I possibly can (which, alas, will not mean being 100% unpacked and organized, but oh well). My brother is also arriving from Japan late today. So much family excitement in so little time! Somewhere during all this 90% of my Autumn Rose yarn should be arriving. Woo hoo!!

The excitement builds!

2007-08-13T23:03:00.000-04:00

I should be folding laundry. Or at least swiffering the floors. I did a little of that. But mostly, I spent the evening alternately flipping wistfully through the Autumn Rose pattern and dancing around the house chanting "My book is here, my book is here!"

My book!!!

The first page has a close-up of the Autumn Rose fabric, and it is just exquisite! And here's the main picture with the pattern:

It's definitely the hardest project in the whole book, and I am definitely feeling nervous about it, especially considering I've only done a very small amount of stranded knitting before. But if there's one thing I've learned in knitting it's that if I take things a step at a time, I always seem to get there somehow, no matter how new or complicated or scary the technique is. Now the only question is, when will my yarn be here???

Announcing the Autumn Rose Knitalong

2007-08-10T16:20:00.000-04:00

Didn't I just get finished telling you how busy I've been? Well, apparently I'm not busy enough. I seem to have deluded myself into thinking I have time to help run a knitalong. Blame it on Jennsquared--she's the one who talked me into it, and is (thank goodness) co-administering it with me. So far we have a blog with two contributors (us) and one entry. Eventually we hope to have a Flickr group and many many KAL members. After all, who wouldn't want to knit this gorgeous sweater? And so, without further ado, I present to you:

In Love With Autumn Rose

Please go visit the blog and then join the KAL. We're gonna need all the help we can get!

Random Friday

2007-08-10T09:16:00.000-04:00

Busy, busy, busy! I know, I say that every time. But seriously, in less than a month, my 6-person department at work has lost three people (to fabulous new jobs for them, not layoffs). So I am now officially doing the job of two people. And it's only going to get worse, since I am the only person left out of the three who doesn't get any paid vacation, and both of the other two are taking their summer vacations in the next month. So I'd better blog while I still can. Here's the run-down of non-work stuff I've been up to:

1. First and foremost, moving. There are still sooo many boxes to unpack, so much stuff to organize, and the new place needs a thorough cleaning before my mother-in-law arrives next week. But I think I promised to post some photos of the new place, so here are the ones I've managed to snap so far:

Our new dining area, with a pass-through window to our spacious kitchen.
There is a door in the kitchen that leads to the stairs down to the finished
basement (with unfinished storage area as well)--oh the glorious space!!!

A small portion of our books, and the stairs to the second floor.

Our living room area, complete with Ivy breaking in the new futon.

2. An outdoor concert:

While Chris Isaak played at Wolftrap, my friends and I shared wine,
bread, cheese, and more than a few laughs.

3. Knitting. Believe it or not, I have actually managed to get a little bit of knitting done throughout the craziness. Not enough to warrant photographing, but I'm almost to the heel of Snicket, and I'm nearly done with the sleeves for Samus (and my amazing mother gave me a zipper that matches the yarn almost perfectly, so I no longer have the "but I can't find a good zipper" excuse for not getting it D-O-N-E). When my folks stopped by the other day, Taz saw the sock that my mom was knitting for my dad, and suddenly realized that he is not totally against variegated yarn. So you can bet that at the very next opportunity, I got me to the LYS and picked some up. Still fairly subdued, but light years more interesting to knit than plain charcoal gray:

Lorna's Laces in Black Watch colorway.

4. More knitting. I swear, I'm not just making stuff up so my list will look longer. This deserves its own spot. Months and months ago, I was reading Eunny's blog, and I saw a glimpse of a design she had just completed and sent off to Jamieson's for their next pattern book. Well, that book finally came out, and I have already ordered it. Simply Shetland 4 is hopefully already on its way to my anxious little hands. And as soon as I get it, I am going to buy the yarn for the Autumn Rose Pullover. It is the only fair isle sweater I have ever felt compelled to knit--it has a scoop neck, 3/4 sleeves, and waist shaping!! Finally, a fair isle I can actually wear! Anyone want to join me?

A thousand splendid socks

2007-07-31T23:35:00.001-04:00

Yeah, right. It'll be a long time before I knit 1000 socks. The yarn
and pattern on this one is quite splendid, though. It may not look
like I've made much progress since I last showed you Snickett
(especially since this is still the first sock), but I am actually not
far from the heel. If I can tear myself away from this
heartwrenchingly beautiful book long enough to do a few more rows
tonight, I'll be starting sock #2 by the weekend for sure. Now that
I've put that in writing, it's guaranteed not to happen, of course...

Mein Hindi bol sakti hoon

2007-07-26T23:29:00.001-04:00

Apparently, 8 weeks, a new 48-letter alphabet, 9 verb tenses, hundredsof vocab words, and innumerable ridiculous mistakes later ("YesterdayI ate a pink sari??"), I have actually managed to learn something. Can you believe it?

No more guilt

2007-07-25T08:59:00.000-04:00

Got home too late last night to snap any decent shots of the new place, and I've been too busy studying Hindi (final exam tomorrow) and reading HP7 (warning: if you tell me anything about what happens in the book, I will hunt you down and hurt you with my knitting needles) to get any knitting done, much less take any photos of it. But dude, I just found these amazing pictures that have completely removed any possible guilt I might have felt about the size of my yarn stash.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

2007-07-19T08:57:00.000-04:00

OK, so it doesn't fly, but it is so cool in so many other ways, we don't miss the flying too much. I finally got around to taking a picture of our new Prius. We are still thinking of a name for her. We love her so much, it's hard to think of a name that does her justice. (And no, she does NOT make any noises remotely like "chitty" or "bang.")

One step closer...

2007-07-17T09:19:00.000-04:00

...to starting MS3. On Sunday when More Cows was visiting, we stopped by the LYS and she helped me pick out this lovely yarn:

Misti Alpaca in a gorgeous dark natural brown, and Addi Turbos for Lace.

At least now I can't use the "I don't have yarn for that project" excuse for not starting. Granted, I still don't have the beads, and I still haven't finished any of the other projects I have on the needles, despite my vow that I would at least have Samus ready for blocking before casting on anything else. Oh yes, and I have exactly three nanoseconds of free time each day, it seems.

This week, every night after I get home from Hindi class at 10, I will be packing dishes and books and anything else I can manage to cram into boxes before Friday, which is when the movers are coming (lucky for me, Taz will be supervising that). This time on Saturday, Taz and I will be waking up in our new place, which we are very very excited about. The actual moving, though? Not so much. We will survive this move, and we will be amazingly happy when it's done. Yes.

And in less than two weeks, I'll have my weekday evenings back. MS3, here I come!

Remembering girlhood

2007-07-16T13:35:00.000-04:00

This past weekend was divine. It started out on Friday evening with me and Taz finally signing the lease for our new place. We asked them to rip up the carpeting and sand and varnish the underlying hardwood floors for us, and they did. On time. No extra charge. And it looks great. This bodes well.

Then we tried to see HP5 with some friends, but since none of us thought of buying tickets online at 6am the day before, we had a snowball's chance of seeing it at either of the 2 cinemas we tried (or, I'm sure, the 4 we didn't). So instead, we sat and had some beers and talked about everything from upcoming concerts, to what ingredients go into different beers, to the best way to get from point A to point B by bike in our area. Great fun, and it sure beat trying to find a 2am show for HP5. Taz and I did eventually get to see it. My thoughts are here.

The next day, my best friend from elementary school arrived with her husband K, and even though we hadn't seen each other in nearly a decade, the bond was as strong as ever. All four of us had a great time walking, playing mini golf, showing our competitive streaks in Super Scrabble, eating, drinking, talking, laughing, and remembering. It was fun reminiscing about the time some boys pelted us with snowballs when we were walking home from school, and how one of our friends used to bring peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch every day, and how much of a drama queen my 6th grade boyfriend was. But the best part was the feeling that our relationship is not just a collection of shared memories, and that we still have so much to offer one another now that we're all growed up. I am so so SO happy that they chose us as the first stop on their summer vacation.

Oh, and there was knitting. And yarn buying. Pictures coming soon.

On Sunday evening, Taz and I finally saw HP5. It was fun, but I left the theater with a somewhat unfulfilled feeling. Like when you're used to eating this kind of pizza and are given this instead. I thought about it, and reading JennSquared's entry today helped me articulate it better. She said the movie more or less "represents the book" and I think that's true, but not in a good way. The book is represented, but not expressed. The film had all the major plot elements, but it didn't explain anything and didn't get you to feel involved. I'm not even complaining here about the parts of the book that didn't make it in. I'm talking about the parts of the book that were in the movie, but that you wouldn't understand the significance of if you hadn't read the book recently. Like whose voice is speaking the prophecy, for example. There's a reason Book 5 was a long book--there is so much we learn that we need to know to properly understand the significance of events in Book 6. I know that background info might not make for an exciting movie, but I would have been satisfied with even just a line or two about certain key things. Still, it was fun and had some good special effects. And it was enough of a refresher for me that I can now finish rereading Book 6 in anticipation of this Friday at midnight!

Take me out...

2007-07-06T19:58:00.000-04:00

A perfect Friday evening with Taz (if you don't care about the home
team winning).

Studying hard

2007-07-03T15:03:00.000-04:00

My homework practicing Hindi postpositions (yes, post, not pre).

(I was also testing out how to post from my phone)

Getting snickety!

2007-07-03T14:30:00.000-04:00

I am happy to say that I have finally started my Summer of Socks project (note that I don't say "first," because I know myself and my schedule better than to imagine there will be more than one pair of socks this summer). Darn overcast day and no flash on my iPhone camera made for a dark picture, but here it is:

Claudia's Hand Painted, in Walk in the Woods colorway, on US #1 dpns.

I was worried that the stitch pattern in Snicket wouldn't show up well in this variegated yarn, but so far the ribbing seems very well-defined, probably because of the twisted stitches. I have been waiting and waiting to use this yarn, and I love the pattern I chose. My only concern is if one ball per sock will be enough. I'm using smaller needles than the pattern calls for, and making a larger size than I normally would because I liked my tighter gauge. I'll still make the foot the right length for me, but I never know if I'm going to have enough yardage. Fingers crossed, because I got this yarn so long ago, I'm sure there's no more of this dye lot left!

Better 6 months late than never!

2007-06-25T22:49:00.000-04:00

Finally! I finished the socks I was making for Taz! Sure, they were intended to be a Christmas gift. But then somehow they became a Valentine's Day present, but that didn't quite happen either. Then I was trying for a First Anniversary gift, but the day came and went. His birthday, I thought, surely they'll be done by then! Wrong again. They are now a slightly belated Summer Solstice present, it seems. Even though it's hot and humid, Taz was happy to model them for me:

Nice and simple, just his style. Knit on US size 1's, using Dale Baby Ull (superwash wool). I used the Priscilla Gibson-Roberts short-row toe and heel, and worked them toe-up. I also did a grafted bind-off, which is the stretchiest bind off I've found so far for 2x2 ribbing.

I was pretty sick of the metal needles and the charcoal grey yarn by the end, but I'm happy with them, and most importantly, he's happy. Which makes me happy.

Busy busy car car

2007-06-20T11:40:00.000-04:00

That's basically been the monologue in my head this week. With bits of "Hindi Hindi" and "free time, what's that?" thrown in.

A typical day: Wake up, eat, shower, bike 12 miles to work, workworkwork, bike 3 miles to Hindi class, act like a sponge for 3 hours, navigate home via metro and bus with bike in tow, feed cats, call Taz, fall into bed and sleep upon contact with the pillow. So that's the "busy busy" part.

The "car car" part is because our dear little '97 Honda Civic has finally reached the point where repairing her transmission will cost way more than we could sell her for. So for the past couple weekends, Taz and I have been doing a lot of car shopping (yay for test drives! boo for clueless salespeople!). We have narrowed it down to the Honda Civic Hybrid and the Toyota Prius. I think we are leaning toward the Prius for a number of reasons (mileage, cargo space, leg room, available extras), but I'd love to get some feedback from all of you, if you have personal experience with hybrids. What hybrid do you have? What do you love and hate about it? What made you choose the one you did? Would you choose the same one if you could do it again? With luck, we'll be able to figure out the money part and make a decision within the next week or two.

In knitting news (I know, it's been a while, hasn't it?) I am now officially within two rounds of being ready to bind off Taz's second sock. Nice dark wool socks, just in time for the hottest part of the summer. Do I have good timing or what?

p.s. Sorry for the dearth of pictures lately. There are pictures, I swear. They're even on my computer. At some point they will actually make it onto the blog.

Ben and Ivy on the Summer '07 Knitty

2007-06-11T14:58:00.001-04:00

Opinions are like assh.... well, let's just say, everyone's got one. Even my darling furry knitting companions (whose hairs are surely knit into everything I produce). When they saw the Summer '07 issue of Knitty, they had quite a lot to say:

Ivy and Ben

Hip in Hemp
Ivy says: This would be good if someone made it and left it on the couch for me to knead and nap on. Which is probably what would happen, since it wouldn't get worn much. Please make this one! I'm getting bored of the blue fleece blanket.
Ben says: Bright colors! Squiggly lines! Almost as cool as that new toy you got me. If you make this, can I kill it?

Zinzin
Ivy says: Oh, this would be great if you were a cat, because then you wouldn't have to worry about bust support, and the back would be open so people could scratch you and pet you all day long!
Ben says: Yeah! And then I could come and chew the ribbons off and then you'd be naked!

Coachella
Ivy says: Now this is a garment made for a cat--oh, wait, why is she wearing it backwards?
Ben says: I like the drapey part in the front. A kitten could curl up there and have like a little hammock!

Askew
Ivy says: I want to lick this!
Ben says: It's good they put in the pointy-down part. That way she won't forget to look down and feed the cats.

Tangerine twist
Ivy says: I wonder if this smells like that lotion of yours that I like? If it does, I would lick this one too.
Ben says: It's got orange, like me! I love it!

Sophie
Ivy says: Looks like her cat got involved in the design process. I like it.
Ben says: Yeah, nothing like an oddly placed hole to make something pretty. I do it to all our paper products.

'vog on
Ivy says: I'm more interested in the shoes here. They look like very nice ones to shove your head into.
Ben says: These would make nice socks for Ivy to carry around the house in her mouth.

Coupling
Ivy says: Nice color socks. That pattern looks like fish scales. Mmmmm....fish....
Ben says: Oh, look! Legs! For me to walk on while they're sleeping and wake them up several times a night! Oh yeah, and the socks are nice too.

Breeze
Ivy says: Why do people wear socks anyway? Especially in the summer, when you don't even need furry feet to keep warm?
Ben says: I think they wear them to look cool. So they definitely shouldn't wear these.

Sweet pea
Ivy says: They could wear these ones though. They're kinda cool.
Ben says: Pretty colors! Squiggly lines! If you make these, can I kill them?

Unmentionables
Ivy says: Oh cool! A two-pronged cat tunnel!
Ben says: Yay! Tag, you're it!

Wisp
Ivy says: I definitely think you should make this. For me. With the lace-up part. I've been needing a hairy cave to nap in.
Ben says: I want one too! Tie it over my shoulders and watch me fly around the house! More than I do already, I mean, and not just every night at 10.

Prickly girl
Ivy says: Do we know any girls this age? This one doesn't look very happy.
Ben says: It has flowers! Can I eat them?

Zodiac
Ivy says: A baby bag! Neat idea! Small babies are about the size of cats, you know. And my sign is Gemini, in case you were wondering.
Ben says: And mine is Aries!

Grow with me
Ivy says: This is cute. I like the blue and white. Those strings look fun too.
Ben says: A baby with strings! Cool!

Grrr
Ivy says: About time! They finally got it right and made a cat-related pattern. I hope you plan to make several thousand of these. I'm going to need them, but I can't tell you why.
Ben says: I think I already got my back foot caught in one of the loops of the lion's mane while I was trying to scratch his eyes out.

Chapeau marnier
Ivy says: A hat with a ribbon! You must make it!
Ben says: Did someone say there was more string??

International neighborhood watch

2007-06-07T11:57:00.000-04:00

I have a general policy of never blogging about work-related stuff, and I have largely been good about abiding by that policy (except for maybe once). However, this new site is just so cool, and the genocide in Darfur is so important, I am going to break my rule one more time:

Regularly updated satellite images of villages in Darfur that are at risk of being obliterated by the military or the janjaweed. Before and after pictures of villages that have already been destroyed. Background information about the conflict. Individuals' stories. Ways to take action to stop the genocide. Go. Check out the site. (Warning: it's depressing--but you should still check it out).

On a totally unrelated note, I am really enjoying my Hindi classes. Yesterday I finally learned how to write my own name: ब्रिना (and isn't it cool that I can write it in blogger too??)

Meme to the 7th

2007-06-01T12:45:00.000-04:00

I have found my USB cable, but I won't have time to upload the pics until the weekend, and also, it's Friday, and I am really busy at work, so all I had time for was this meme. I was tagged for it by my old CT knitting buddy Jennsquared. So, here are seven random things about me:

1. When I'm using scissors, I tend to subconsciously stick my tongue out of the corner of my mouth and chew on it in the same rhythm I'm using to cut. Taz just loooves to tease me about this.

2. Unlike so many knitters (and, evidently, so many women in general), I am NOT a chocoholic. While I do enjoy good chocolate, more often than not, I prefer the chewy fruity candies instead of a chocolate bar, or a nice creme brulee over a dense chocolate torte.

3. I love being able to identify the plants and animals around me. A typical hike with me is peppered with exclamations of "Oh, look at the mountain laurel over there!" and "Look out for that stinging nettle!" and "I wonder what kind of turtle that is?" I was completely nonplussed when I made friends in Chile who had grown up in rural areas but didn't even know the names of some of the most common hedgerow plants, or when I was in India, and no one in Taz's family could tell me why there weren't any seagulls in Bombay, even though it's right on the Arabian Sea.

4. I love school supplies. Even though we have plenty of pens and pencils in the house, I am seriously considering going out this weekend to buy a new notebook and writing implements for my Hindi class that starts on Monday.

5. I used to hate cilantro so much that it made me nauseous just to smell it, but overexposure to it while living in South America cured me of that. Now I adore it!

6. Sewing machines scare me. Not in a nightmarish "they're alive!" sort of way; I'm just afraid that if I try to sew something with one, the machine will go out of control and sew zigzags all over the fabric and ruin everything.

7. The books in our house are arranged by category (fiction, poetry, religion, cooking, reference, etc.), and are alphabetical by author and title within each category. Yes, that is because I was the one who unpacked the books. It may be anal, but it sure makes it easy to find a book when you need it!

As for who I'm going to tag, I don't want to force anyone to do a meme if they don't want to, but if you feel like it, and you don't have anything better to blog about, consider yourself tagged. Happy Friday!

Needles, pedals, and tent poles

2007-05-23T10:59:00.000-04:00

There has been yarn buying, there has been knitting, there has been a lot of cycling, and there will be some camping. But there is no USB cable. So no pictures. Yet. But I learned the hard way that if I wait to post until I have the pictures ready, six months can go by before I even know what hit me. So here I am.

I didn't buy much at Sheep & Wool, but what I did buy was yummy indeed. 1400 yds of Tess 50-50 silk wool in a gorgeous deep purple and silvery gray colorway, which I intend to use for Lucie. One fat skein of Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn in a nice dark blue colorway (I'll post the name once I'm home and can check the ball band). And a small souvenir gift for a friend. That's it. But if you've seen how much Tess costs, you'll realize I spent most of my budget on that. And if you've ever touched it, you'll understand why.

No, I have not finished an knitting projects. I did, after all, take two full weeks off of knitting to rest my wrist. But now that my needles are back in my hands, I have at least made it past the 75% mark on Taz charcoal socks. At this rate, I might finish them in time for Labor Day...

What I have definitely been doing more of is bicycling. May 18th was Bike to Work Day here in the DC area, and I (somewhat insanely) decided to take up the challenge, despite the fact that I live more than 10 miles from work. I actually made it in only slightly more time that it would normally take me on public transportation, and I felt so charged up from the exercise that I didn't need to consume a drop of caffeine all day. I did it again yesterday, and felt great again, and I made it in even less time than the first day. So now my plan is to see if I can do it at least three days a week. Then I'd be logging about 75 miles a week without even taking any extra time out of my schedule! My evening hindi class starts on June 3rd, so that might throw a wrench in my plans, but I can always just buy a headlight.

Finally, this weekend we're going camping! I am sooo excited!! OK, so it's not backcountry canoe camping in the arctic like I did in high school, but there will be a lake, mountains, a tent, starry night skies, a campfire, and marshmallows. And a loving husband to share it all with. What more could a girl ask for?

I feel like I'm eight years old

2007-05-04T11:45:00.000-04:00

And it's the last day of school. I'm too excited to concentrate. Tomorrow is Sheep and Wool! I'll get to bask in fibery goodness! I'll get to see lots of sheep! I'll get to see some friends I haven't seen in ages! Apparently, I'll get to eat deep fried twinkies!

But what to wear? The weather is supposed to be nice, but at "neither too hot nor too cold," what knitted things can I wear? I'm ashamed to say that I have no finished sweaters to call my own (which isn't to say I've never finished any sweaters, just none for me--so far). And I still haven't finished Hanging Vines (yes, this would be perfect). So should I wear my Loopy & Luscious scarf/stole?

Or should I just dress like a muggle and only give away my secret identity as a knitter by my socks? (Well, that and the fact that I'll be at Sheep and Wool in the first place):

Whatever I wear, I will be having fun, that's for sure!

I might not actually be knitting, however. I know, GASP!!! Despite the fact that I'll be surrounded by knitters and am also desperately hoping to finish a certain (temporarily secret) project by the following weekend, I won't be knitting. I can't knit in the car anyway, since I'll be the one driving (if anyone has figured out a way around this, let me know). But the real reason I won't be knitting is that since Wednesday I've had this funny twitchy nerve in my left forearm that seems to get worse when I hold small things between my fingers, when I type, and, alas, when I knit. I am hoping that by wrapping my wrist/hand and not knitting for a couple days, it will recover. I hope it doesn't come down to choosing between my health and trying to finish that project by next week. This does, however, give me one more idea of what to wear:

Then no one will know I'm wearing a wrist brace!

In which a lapsed blogger is reborn thanks to fiber fever

2007-05-02T11:01:00.000-04:00

What is this, you say? Who is this freakishly out-of-it blogger who has suddenly reappeared? Where the heck was she all that time? And why on earth would she just randomly reappear now? Either that, or you're asking yourself "Why should I care?" (if you're even reading this at all).

Excuses aside, a lot of newsworthy stuff has happened in my life in the past ~~four million years~~ six months, but only now have I finally gotten it together to write. At some point I'm sure I'll get around to telling you about my second India trip, and my second wedding while I was there, and my new job, and my summer plans. But right now, what I really want to talk about, the thing that some how managed to penetrate the haze of endless writer's block, is the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival.

I am no fiber festival virgin. I've been to my share of county fairs. I've done Rhinebeck. I've seen the insane people at the fleece tent. But from what I've heard, MD S&W blows the rest out of the water. And now that I finally live close enough to contemplate going, well, let's just say it didn't really take much contemplation.

Now, some people are crazy. Some people plan to get there extra early and storm a certain booth with several of their co-workers from a certain LYS. Me, I'm fully aware that since this is my first time, I have about a snowball's chance in hell of competing with the experts. And anyway, until I get there and see the remains of their pillaging, I won't know what I'm missing. I am going early, but for the enjoyment, not to compete. Instead, I've begun researching patterns so that I know what types, weights, and quantities of yarn I should be keeping an eye out for. My budget is pretty limited, so I am trying to be very picky. Perhaps too picky, since so far I've only come up with one project I'm sure about. But it's a beauty:

Lucie from last fall's Knitty. © 2006 Axelle de Sauveterre.

And who knows? Maybe I'll luck out and Axelle will have a booth there too, and I can just buy the exact yarn the pattern calls for. Now I just have to figure out if there's any other yarn I'll be able to afford after I buy enough for Lucie.

Design challenge!

2006-11-03T13:02:00.000-05:00

I have a very exciting knitting project to start, but I need help! My wonderful, Mac-loving brother has presented me with quite the knitting design challenge. He has lots of wires coming out of his computer, and he wants socks (tubes, really) to keep them looking nice and neat. Before everyone just says "So just knit him some ribbed tubes and be done with it!" let me show you the amazing diagram he drew for me (most measurements aren't shown, but I have them written down):

You'll probably want to click on the image to make it larger--and legible.

As you can probably guess, he set forth some fairly specific parameters for how he'd like them to be:

The fabric should be as thin as possible (definitely no thicker than DK weight) because "I don't want to feel like I'm typing next to a pillow."*

The finished product should be stretchy enough to fit around the odd shapes of the wires, but firm enough to control them somewhat

The ends of the tubes nearest the computer would ideally be flush with the edge of the computer, so that the edge touches the computer, and the fabric itself lies flat across the tops of the plugs, and it so it won't slip back along the wires too much.

Ideally there wouldn't be too much fabric bunched up at the "ankle" where the wires turn and head toward the back of the desk.

The opening at the small ends should be big enough to allow one plug-end to pass through it at a time, but not too large either.

Yarn color should be compatible with brushed aluminum finish of the computer--maybe slate gray?

So far, I'm thinking DK weight yarn because it will knit up faster, and because I think the ribbing will come out stretchier in slightly thicker fabric. And I will clearly have to do some sort of "heel" at the turn, but I'm not sure if it should be short-row or flap or what. At first glance, flap seems like it would leave the most room for flexibility, but I'm open to being convinced otherwise. Maybe start at the "small" end, knit straight for a while, increase a bit, then heel flap, and just a few gusset decreases?

Here is where you come in, dear readers! I need help figuring out if anything about my above plan makes sense, or if I'm totally off on my approach. What weight yarn should I use? Do I used 2x2 ribbing, or something else? Heel flap, short-row, neither? And how do I handle the large end of the tube that needs to be flush against the computer? Maybe a hem with something firm (cardboard, plastic?) sewn inside it? And how do I get it to stay flush against the computer? Any and all suggestions welcome!

*I didn't include that quote to make my brother sound like a demanding, cranky guy. I just thought it was a funny visual. He's actually one of the sweetest people in the world, and has by no means given me any sort of deadline for this project, if I even decide to take it on.

Now you know.

2006-11-01T13:51:00.001-05:00

Anyone who reads my blog regularly knows that I usually avoid mentioning my work, and I rarely discuss politics. However, there are certain things that people just need to know about, regardless of what their politics are. This is one of those things.

I've signed the pledge. Have you?

Socktoberfest

2006-11-01T08:59:00.000-05:00

I have been a terrible blogger this month, and I'm sorry for being so neglectful. I think part of my problem is that I always feel I need to post something substantive, with lots of pictures. Maybe if I just gave myself permission to write one-paragraph posts, I'd magically find the time to post more often. Anyway, thanks for checking to see if I still exist, Sangeeta. On with the post!

Socktoberfest is over, and I hardly posted about it at all. That's because I barely had time to knit this past month, let alone blog about it. And I didn't even manage to knit one whole pair of socks from start to finish during Socktoberfest. I did, however finally finish the Jaywalkers:

I also started another pair for myself with the Cherry Tree Hill yarn, using the PGR toe-up technique, and a pattern stitch from Knitting Vintage Socks:

Sorry the photo is so dark. It looked fine on the camera!

And last, but most certainly not least, I am swatching for a pair for Taz. These are definitely going to be toe-up as well, because I've never knit socks for big feet before, and I don't know how long the cuff will get before I run out of yarn:

So, that's really the whole knitting update from me. As much as I need to finish the two cardigans, and as much as I want to work on Hanging Vines, it seems like 99% of my knitting time lately is 5 minutes here, 10 minutes there, during my commute. So socks are it. Good thing I love knitting them so much!

Oh, and you wanted a life update too? Well, that will have to wait, alas. Partly because there's not a ton to tell, and mostly because I've got tons of work to do and really shouldn't spend any more time today blogging.

If this is second prize...

2006-10-12T10:29:00.000-04:00

Then I can only imagine how awesome first prize must have been! I entered Sangeeta's "guess the baby animal" contest on Knit One, Wag Two. I didn't guess the right animal (turns out it was a zebu), but apparently I cam close enough to deserve a "runner-up" prize:

Clip stitch markers, a mini crocheted sweater keychain, Rowan Calmer
in off-white, "Soak" wool wash, and Nature Spun wool in dark red.
(Believe it or not, I took this pic with my regular camera, not my phone.
Obviously I still have a lot to learn about the correct settings for close-up
photography...)

I can tell you right now that the red yarn is going to go toward a scarf for the Red Scarf Project. I'm also excited to try the Calmer, since I've heard good things about it. Thanks so much for the generous gift, Sangeeta! Now maybe I should come up with a good contest...

Quickie

2006-10-08T10:53:00.000-04:00

I may have beaten my own personal record for Shortest Completion Time for a project. It feels even faster given how long most of my current WIPs have been on the needles. On Friday, I went with a work friend to Stitch DC, (which is about 3 blocks from my office) and picked up some yummy Karabella Aurora 8 (100% merino) for a baby hat. I cast on when I got home that night, knit a few rows and went to bed. By bedtime yesterday I was done:

What I always make: Umbilical Cord Hat from the
first Stitch'n'Bitch book.

While I was at Stitch DC, I also found I couldn't resist this gorgeous sock yarn, though I'm still not sure what kind of stitch pattern will work the best for it:

Claudia Handpainted fingering weight in the Walk in the Woods colorway.

I think I also forgot to mention that shortly after accepting my job down here, but before we moved away from CT, I decided to treat myself to some Cherry Tree Hill, since I'd heard so much about it:

Can't remember the colorway, but it made me think of autumn, with the
maple trees lit up with color, hot cider in my mug and a fire in the fireplace.

So ~~before I do anything else~~ as soon as I get my Jaywalkers off the needles (finally!), I'll be casting on for two or three more pairs of socks. I was really late in joining Socktoberfest, but it's obviously not due to a lack of interest in knitting socks!!

Three generations

2006-10-03T08:59:00.000-04:00

Over the weekend, we drove down to Charlottesville to visit my grandparents. They are 92 and 93, and I regret to say that I hadn't seen them in over two years. I was really happy to be able to make the trip now, and for them to meet my wonderful husband. My mom and brother were there too, and we all enjoyed a quiet afternoon of looking at pictures and chatting. Taz, my mom, and C put together a nice light dinner for all of us. I didn't help because I was still knitting madly away on Grandma's sock. It was down to the wire, but I did manage to finish it before we left:

Toe-up, using PGR's short-row technique. Cuff is 2x2 ribbing, and top
border is a few rows of 1x1 ribbing, with some stockinette and a couple
rows of eyelets in between.

Grandma was very emotional when I gave them to her, and she immediately put them on. She remarked that she used to knit socks once, and then Mom observed that life comes full circle. Grandma was the one who taught my mom to knit, and Mom was the one who taught me to knit, and now I was giving knitted socks to Grandma. So Taz asked us to pose for a Three Generations of Knitters picture:

Me, Grandma, Mom, and Grandma's sock.

It was really a perfect visit. And on the way home, Taz nearly made me cry when he said that he had really enjoyed meeting them and helping to brighten their day a little, and that anytime I want to go down to see them, he'd love to come along. Even though they're in relatively good health for their age, they're definitely getting on in years, and no one knows how much longer we'll be able to share moments with them like this past Saturday afternoon, so it really meant a lot to me to know that Taz understands that. I am so lucky.

Next in knitting: finishing at least one of the two cardigans I have on the needles, finishing my Jaywalkers, making some progress on Hanging Vines (so much for the Amazing Lace) and casting on for socks for Taz. Any suggestions for a manly pattern stitch to make the charcoal gray yarn more interesting to work with? That means no cables, lace, or eyelets of any kind. Don't ask me why cables on socks aren't manly, I just know that if I put cables on these socks, they won't be worn very much. Maybe it's the bulkiness?

Slippery When Wet

2006-09-30T07:37:00.000-04:00

Things that I have learned are slippery when wet:

1. Mossy rocks
2. Fish
3. Noodles
4. Bon Jovi
5. Washington DC Metro escalators

How do I know that last one? I'll give you one guess. The other night it was raining, and I was in a hurry because I didn't want to miss the last metro train that would allow me to make my bus connection to get home at a reasonable hour. I hadn't expected it to rain, so I didn't have an umbrella. I was wearing white pants and suede shoes. I was soaking wet from having walked several blocks to get to the metro, and I was really looking forward to sitting in a warm, dry train for a little while. So I start jogging down the escalator steps at Foggy Bottom, and the next thing I know, not only are my feet no longer under me, but I've managed to skid down about 10 escalator steps. No damage to my clothing, but you should see the bruises! I'll spare you a picture of that. (Unlike some people). Anyway, it still really hurts, and I have decided that from now on, it's definitely better to get home half an hour later than to be black and blue for weeks.

Hopefully next post I'll have pictures for you of the finished socks on Grandma M's feet. That is of course assuming I finish them today. I have about 2 hours (max) to finish them starting now, and about 2 inches to go. On size zeros. Yes. Taz will be driving when we go down to see the grandparents today, even though I had promised him I would drive. OK, time to go. I must knit like the wind.

Cuteness

2006-09-27T23:22:00.000-04:00

Today's theme is cuteness. A colleague is pregnant, and I just found out we're having a surprise baby shower for her at work in two weeks. Gifts aren't required, but I do actually collaborate with this woman quite a bit, and I'd like to show my appreciation by knitting something small for the baby. This is pretty much the only yarn I have to work with:

Lion Brand Microspun. Soft. Machine Washable.
Bright. (Not quite as blinding as it appears here, though)

I know I could go out and buy something else, but I really want to use this up, and I like bright non-pastel colors for babies anyway. So, what to make? I've done plenty of Umbilical Cord Hats, so that would be a simple option. But would it take longer than doing booties? If I do booties, what pattern should I use? I'd like to be able to use both colors, so perhaps opposite color booties with contrasting i-cords? Or is that too wacky? Help! Please! Advice!

Oh yeah, and I will also have to finish Grandma M's socks in that time, if not sooner (yes I have made progress, no I don't have a picture). And I can't necessarily count on getting time to knit every day.

ETA: I should also mention that I don't have any additional yardage of this yarn beyond what you see in the photo. That means baby blankets are out, alas.

The other part of the cuteness theme for today is simply a cuddly greeting from Ivy and Ben, who normally only get this close when they are trying to kill each other:

No, I am not above using gratuitous cat cuteness to get you to love me.

A little red goes a long way

2006-09-22T09:36:00.000-04:00

I'm finally almost done with Grandma M's socks, but I don't have a progress picture for you yet. What I really wanted to talk about today is this great new charity project I just found out about: the Red Scarf Project.

The Red Scarf Project, an initiative of the Orphan Foundation of America, helps college-age kids who have aged out of foster care by sending them a Valentine's Day care package that includes a red scarf to keep them feeling warm and cozy and loved.

What I love about scarves is that they give me total freedom as a knitter. As long as the finished product is basically in the shape of a very long rectangle, I can do pretty much whatever I want to get it to that point. Scarves are the perfect way to experiment with new yarn or new stitch patterns. It also just so happens that I have a cardigan I plan to knit with red yarn sometime this fall. Even if I don't have enough left over to make a whole scarf, I can combine it with some other red yarn and make good use of my leftovers for once.

So go visit Norma's page, grab some needles and some red yarn, and let your imagination take flight!

Washington, DC (and very little knitting)

2006-09-16T12:12:00.000-04:00

OK, so I know I haven't posted in more than a month, and there's lots to catch up on, but first, I have to tell you how happy I am about the new Knitty. For once, not only are there patterns that I like, and think would be fun to knit, but there are actually things I myself would wear.

First of all, despite my poor record with long-term afghan projects (read: totaly failure in the perseverance department), I am really enamored of this afghan. It is way out of my budget right now, but since it's a long-term project, I figure I can just pick up a few skeins here and there, every once in a while, and eventually, I'll have an afghan. Think that'll work?

Then there's this man's cardi, which I really hope I can convince Taz to let me knit for him, even though he often shies away from cables. I also like these two pullovers, although the first one might need some waist-shaping added.

Finally, I am really drooling over Lucie. My only concern with it is the variegated yarn. It creates horizontal stripe-ish forms, and horizontal stripes are something that busty girls like me should usually try to avoid. So, beloved readers (if there are any of you left after my long hiatus), my question for you is, can I get away with it? Or should I use a solid color or tweedy yarn instead?

So what have I been up to since moving to DC and starting my new job? Here are the highlights:

Traveling back and forth to CT at least three times in two weeks to get various loads of stuff, and paying twice as much for movers as we had planned (and our stuff took twice as long to arrive as they said it would, too).

Meeting my co-workers and feeling deeply grateful that they are so willing to answer all my dumb questions and help me learn how to work with the tools that we all have to use to get stuff on the web and let our activists know what issues need their attention and how they can help.

Unpacking, organizing, decorating, unpacking some more.

Learning where the shops and restaurants are, including a yummy Afghani restaurant, and a great Indian grocery (whose owner has already offered to teach me how to cook dal makhani.

Seeing my brother (who just came back from four years in Japan to start looking at grad schools) and his girlfriend (who took two weeks off of her doctoral work in Tokyo to come see us).

Starting the new Eastern Market SnB around the corner from my work, since despite the plethora of local knitting groups, there weren't any that I could easily get to, at a time when I could attend.

Discovering local sports. First, we went to a Nationals game, which, surprisingly, they won. Then a week or two later, at the same staduim, we saw DC United. As a lifelong soccer fan, I can't begin to describe to you how thrilled I am that I finally have a local professional team to cheer for. And the fans are just as enthusiastic as soccer fans should be, lighting firecrackers and colored smoke and throwing their beer in the air when the home team scored. The seating area where the "barra brava" ~~sits~~ jumps up and down is called the "black hole." I love the team colors:

As for my own knitting, I haven't been making tons of progress. Even though Grandma M's birthday was last week, I'm still not done with her socks, even though they're pretty much all I've been working on. My commute, though blissfully shorter than my CT to NYC commute, doesn't easily lend itself to knitting time, and when I get home, I have been trying really hard to be good about making a dent in the unpacking. Still, I have managed to finish the first sock and get almost to the heel on the second one. Unfortunately, you don't get pictures yet becuase the camera is out of batteries and I haven't unpacked the USB cable yet. (I know, excuses, excuses, but it's true).

So, if you have managed to stick with me through this long and rambly update, I would like to express my deepest awe and gratitude. Now that I finally have internet at home again, I have high hopes of getting back to some semblance of a regular blogging schedule. I have missed it! See you all again soon!

Happy (belated) Blogiversary to me!

2006-08-12T09:12:00.000-04:00

It was August 8th. Yes, I'm even late when it comes to my own special days, nevermind everyone else's. This time I have a good excuse, though. We found a place to live near DC, I've already taken one load of stuff down, and I'm taking another lot tomorrow. Which is why this is also going to be a very short post. Sure, I had planned to write a long reflection on what I've gotten out of a year in the blogosphere, but there really is so much that I think the car would still be pretty empty by departure time tomorrow morning if I actually let myself loose on the keyboard. Let's just say I am deeply grateful that Taz encouraged me to do it, and I hope to gain even more new blog-friends in the coming year.

However, they say a picture is worth a thousand words. Arguably, this picture is not, but it does very simply show what this post is about:

I am one year old in blog-years!

There has been some knitting progress (almost done with sock #1 of the pair for Grandma M), but unfortunately the only pic you get today is of that cake. Because the camera and its cable (yes, they are together for once) are both packed already. Here's hoping I manage to get internet access set up at the new place next week.

Progress Report

2006-07-29T09:57:00.000-04:00

I am very excited about this post because I'm writing it on my brand new MacBook. I chose the white version because even with the exact same specs as the black one, it's $150 less, and I like the look a little better anyway. One of the main things that makes me happy about my new computer is the fact that I don't have to install any extra software for my camera to work with it. And I don't have to go hunting in hidden "shared" folders to find the pictures that I want to upload to the blog. Oh yeah, and it's just blazing fast overall.

Anyway, moving along to actual knitting content, I am extremely proud of myself for finally starting my first official Summer of Socks project, and I'm even more proud for finally (after about six tries) conquering the Priscilla Gibson-Roberts short-row toe technique:

Grandma M's sock, almost ready for the heel.

This was not without help. I found the instructions in the book to be a little vague in spots, so I wrote to my SnB group, and I googled the technique. I finally found a wonderful, picture-filled blog entry at Purly Whites that really helped me. In the end, my sock compromised between what the blog entry recommended and what PGR said to do. I followed the instructions in the blog entry faithfully except that on my way down the second half of the toe, I did the k3togs and the p3togs the way PGR says to, rather than according to the blog. I felt that the SSSP gave a smoother "seam" than just doing p3tog.

Speaking of socks, because the Jaywalkers don't count as a legitimate SoS project (and because Grandma M's 93rd birthday is in early September), they have been languishing somewhat. However, there has still been a bit of progress:

One and one-third Jaywalkers. Let's hope that I won't
get another ticket when I finish the second sock!

I love them, and I can't wait to finish them so I can wear them, but other things are higher on my list right now (we're not going to mention the four other on-the-needles projects that aren't even going to be pictured in this post for want of progress).

Then, there's Hanging Vines. I have now completed 13 out of the 34 pattern repeats, and I am not at all sick of it. If lace were a knit-anywhere kind of thing, and if I didn't have a deadline for Grandma's socks, I would work on Hanging Vines all the time. Possibly to the detriment of my health. I loveitloveitloveit!

Hanging Vines stole at 13 pattern repeats. This color is actually much
more accurate than what you might have seen in past entries.

And even though I missed the deadline for Challenge #4 of the Amazing Lace, I offer you the world's most luxurious placemat:

Very gentle on your good china...

Yes, I would do severe bodily harm to anyone who actually tried to use Hanging Vines this way.

And last, but most certainly not least, there has also been some non-knitting progress. On Monday, I am going to make a phone call to DC, and I am going to accept the job I was offered by the wonderful people at a well-known human rights organization. It is a six-month position, but it is a foot in the door, and I am very happy about it. I also really need to say that I am the luckiest wife in the world. Taz has been truly amazing through this loooong job search of mine. I don't know what I would have done without his unwavering support (and cajoling when I needed it). And the fact that he is willing to move to a whole new city so that I can try to advance my career? Well, no wonder I married him!

USB cable to the rescue! (about time for some Grand Canyon pictures, don't you think?)

2006-07-24T12:00:00.001-04:00

I finally found it!!! Of course now I'm about to rush out the door to catch a train, but I wanted to take a minute to post a few pics of all those trips I've been telling you about. Just in case you didn't believe me about the Grand Canyon (and I would understand if you didn't given how long it's taken me to get these pics up).

ETA: I should note that by "how long" I mean months. This trip was for Taz's birthday in the first week of May. I have nothing to say in my own defense. Just get over it and look at the pics.

So anyway, here we go:

The first evening we got there, we drove to one of the lookouts on the
South Rim and took some early evening pictures.

Our first full day there, we took a hike partway down the most
popular trail. This cool tunnel was fairly near the top.

When stopping for lunch, we looked back and were
amazed at what we'd come down.

Taz and I thought this rock looked like a heart.

The next day we hiked down a different trail, which was much longer
and more challenging. Aside from the Camelback that Taz is wearing here,
we carried several more liters of water with us, as well as energy bars
and (an new discovery for us) engergy gel.

If you're wondering why we carried so much fluid and electrolytes with us, it's because we had read a lot of horror stories of people dying in the canyon from dehydration and heat exhaustion. And we did in fact drink and eat pretty much everything we carried. At the trailhead, there was this warning sign about it. The headline said "Could you run the Boston Marathon? Well, she could, and she died in the Grand Canyon." Point taken.

My face barely begins to express how exhausted I am in this picture.
Especially after running the last 100 yards to the top after spotting a
rattlesnake.

And finally, I offer you:

Sunset at the Grand Canyon.

After posting all of those pictures, I have to say, even the best photographers have trouble doing justice to the beauty of this place. There is a reason it is one of the wonders of the world. If you ever have the chance, GO.

I had planned to give you some pics of the Philly trip too, but now I'm out of time, so those will have to wait for another post. There ought to be some decent knitting progress on this train ride, so look for update pics soon. OK, I'm outta here!

Random Monday

2006-07-17T21:36:00.000-04:00

Because Random Wednesday just isn't random enough anymore. Here's what I've been up to since the knitting adventures with Marisa:

1. On Friday, Taz and I infiltrated enemy territory to watch the last half of a game against the White Sox. We were too afraid of the fans to do anything that might reveal our true loyalties. But we were secretly rooting for the White Sox. Because, you know, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

Home of the Evil Empire

See? I really was there!

2. On Saturday evening, we went to a concert at the Meadows, which is now called the Dodge Music Center. But everyone who's lived in Connecticut for more than a year still calls it the Meadows. I tried to take a picture of the stage, so that I could post it and have you guess who we went to see, but all that my camera phone could see were big lights shining directly in its ~~sensitive little eyes~~ lens, so sorry, but no soup for you. You can still guess if you want, though. Because I'm not sure if I'm quite ready to admit that I went to this particular concert. It was a lot of fun, though (even though they weren't selling any beer--and yes, that is a hint).

3. I was in a really crappy mood on Thursday, and when Taz arrived home, he came bearing a copy of this book, which was super sweet of him. I'm so lucky. I started reading it last night before bed, and I'm already done with it. Despite being such a quick read, and not exactly requiring deep soul-searching thought to get through, I enjoyed it quite a bit. And it definitely made me want to get going on some more sock knitting.

4. Speaking of sock knitting, I took Claudia's recommendation to heart, and bought myself a copy of a great little sock book. I have been checking the front step obsessively ever since I clicked "buy now" on Amazon. I also added another one to my wish list.

5. I have no knitting pictures, because although I knit on my Jaywalkers all the way to the Bronx on Friday, and have been making decent progress on Hanging Vines as well, they don't really look all that different from the last time I posted pictures of them. Hopefully next time I will have another pair of socks started. And no, I still haven't found my camera's USB cable.

6. Taz has been working really hard for the past month or two, and it seems to be paying off. He got a lot of praise from his boss last week, and an actual promotion looks very likely. I am so proud of him. He really deserves it. And it's even sweeter to realize that the same amount of professional advancement would have taken him at least six years at his old company.

7. I joined a gym today. Normally, I'm all about taking advantage of the great outdoors, but lately it has just been too hot to do anything more outside than stand still on the deck while watering the plants. That doesn't burn too many calories, I'm sorry to say. So the plan is to get up at a reasonably early hour tomorrow and hit the treadmill. With my feet, hopefully, not my head.

Hey, this is actually relaxing!

2006-07-13T16:51:00.000-04:00

That was Marisa's verdict on knitting by the time I left her today. Phew! As I'm sure you can imagine, though, it was preceded by plenty of frustration and confusion. Here's a bit of a timeline:

Tuesday:
2:00pm-4:00pm Pick out yarn and needles at LYS. Say hi to J and her daughter who are enjoying the AC and chatting with the owner. Pet absolutely every type of yarn in the shop. Laugh hysterically at the price of the 100% cashmere that initially attracts us. Decide instead on a ~~much cheaper~~ perfectly respectable alpaca in deep red. Briefly consider buying a swift, but then realize it's probably available at half the price online.

4:30pm-5:00pm After arriving home, wind hanks into ~~yummy yarn cakes~~ center-pull balls, using only a ball winder and Marisa's hands. Her triceps are totally ripped now.

5:00pm-6:00pm Practice the long-tail cast on. Rip out. Practice some more.

6:00pm-7:30pm The knit stitch. And the accidental yo. And the k2tog. Time for me to tink a little. More knit stitch. More accidental yos. OK, now we're finally starting to get some even rows. Wait, how many stitches did we cast on?

Wednesday
Marisa, all alone at home, decides that all those unintentional yos and k2togs are driving her crazy and frogs the whole thing. Then she very impressively manages to remember how to cast on and starts all over again. By the end of the day, there is about an inch and a half of scarf.

Thursday
10:00am-11:00am Upon further inspection, it is decided that there really are a few too many oopsies in Scarf 2.0 as well (including an adorable little foot shape that sticks out to the side), and that if she leaves it as is, Marisa will be too embarrassed to ever wear her first scarf. And she's gonna need it in the frigid Connecticut winter after six years in balmy New Mexico. Frog it!

11:00am-12:00 Marisa casts on for a third time, all by herself and quite quickly. Practice definitely makes perfect. Making sure to count stitches often and catch herself before doing any more accidental yos, she knits a glorious inch-plus of beautiful, even garter stitch rows:

Scarf 3.0. Isn't it just gorgeous?

Congratulations, my dear sweet friend! You are now officially on the road to perdition. Bwah ha ha haaaaa!

Summer of socks! Help!

2006-07-11T23:00:00.000-04:00

OK, so I'm sure many of you are signed up for the Summer of Socks KAL hosted by Zarzuela. Based on recent posts (and let's not talk about the meaning of "recent" here), one would never know that I'm signed up for it as well, but I am. I would love to say that I'm more than halfway done with my first pair, but to be honest, the Jaywalkers shown in the last post were cast on way back in late April, looong before the June 21 cast-on date for SoS. This means that I'd better get going on a new pair if I actually want to follow the rules (granted, rule-following is optional and even discouraged in many aspects of my life, but I don't want to get in trouble with Zarzuela).

Anyway, I need help deciding what to do. I am thinking of making a pair for my grandmother, who is reported to have made covetous remarks about the socks I gave my Mom for x-mas. This is the sock yarn that I currently have available:

Annell superwash wool-polamide (is that nylon?)

Aznar Plassard 100% Peruvian Alpaca

Artyarns Ultramerino in color #110

To be ~~disgustingly selfish~~ honest, I'd like to save the pink stuff for myself, even though I haven't yet decided on what pattern to make. Perhaps Pomatomus? Anyway, assuming I do choose to be selfish, that leaves the two blue ones. I think the alpaca is really soft and lovely, and my grandma would love the color. I'm just not sure if it would be too inelastic to work well as socks. Any expert opinions?

Then there's the issue of a pattern. If I use the alpaca, I will want something with an interesting texture (since there won't be any color changes to add interest). However, my grandma, who is in her late 90s, gets cold very easily and won't want any drafty lacework in her socks. I had a few thoughts about some of the patterns in this book, but I'm not sure how I would adapt the size, since most of the ones that have caught my eye are written for men's size 10 feet. I've also been looking at these two patterns from the new knitty. If anyone has other suggestions, I'd love to hear them!

Next time: my adventures while teaching knitting basics to a friend who describes herself as "really impatient" and admits to "having anger issues."

And ~~if I can find my camera's USB cable~~ hopefully there will aso be some pics from the 4th of July trip to Philly. And maybe someday there will even be Grand Canyon pics (but apparently you shouldn't be holding your breath for that last one).

What is this? Mayberry? Or, a knitter learns the true meaning of "Jaywalker"

2006-06-23T17:59:00.000-04:00

Does my pride show even when I'm innocently walking down the street? Could that be it? I'm not sure how he found out, but the policeman must have known that I finally did it. Right before I left for DC, I finished the first sock in my pair of Jaywalkers:

It's a little tight (no, I didn't swatch), but I can
get it on my foot (with a minor struggle) and I
far prefer snug to slouchy when it comes to socks.

Next thing I know, I'm coming out of my second job interview in two days (more on that later), walking through the stifling heat near Dupont Circle, looking desperately for a coffee shop where I can get some iced tea and air conditioning while I wait for the informational interview I had scheduled, and I see some movement out of the corner of my eye. I glance over, and realize there's a police car parked on the side of the street, and the policeman inside it is gesturing for me to come over. I can't imagine what on earth he could want, but I figure he must be bored and wants to chat up my gorgeous young self (don't laugh, it really was the only thing I could think he might want). So I saunter over to the car, and he rolls down the window. The following conversation ensues:

Me: "Yes?"
Policeman: "I'm going to have to write you a citation."
Me: "What for? I don't understand."
PM: "You just crossed S Street, against the Don't Walk signal."
Me: "I'm sorry, Officer, I honestly didn't notice that I did that. I didn't see any cars coming, so I crossed."
PM: "Well, you did, so I'm going to have to write you a citation. Please spell your last name for me."
Me: [goody-two-shoes that I am, spelling my real name for him] "I can't believe this is happening!"
PM: [with a threatening glance] "What's that?"
Me: "I'm sorry, it's just that I've had a really tough day."
PM: "Here's your ticket. Payment instructions are on the back."
Me: [still incredulous] "Uh, thank you?"

You think I'm joking, don't you? In weather as hot as we're having, I'm sorry, but my creativity is just not that good. You can't make this up (incidentally, that phrase is the name of a hilarious blog). As proof, I offer you:

Official District of Columbia Notice of Infraction

Where it should have my driver's license number, he wrote "pedestrian," and filled in the blank for "other" under the category for Moving Violation. Now I know I'd better not loiter around that corner either, or I might get a Parking Violation, too. Two whole days have passed and I still cannot get over the ridiculousness of this episode. I mean, since when did DC turn into Mayberry?

On the train ride home yesterday, I had the good fortune of sitting next to a fellow knitter (who, alas, had not brought her knitting with her). We chatted almost all the way to NYC, and I managed to make really good progress on the Hanging Vines Stole that I'm knitting for this summer's Amazing Lace. The color's not so great in this shot, but I don't have the energy to look for my real camera:

Nine out of 34 pattern repeats completed.
Yay! I'm more than a quarter of the way there!

I'm quite proud of my first real attempt at lace. It's a gorgeous pattern, and as long as I don't try to work on it in places or situations when concentration is a challenge, I haven't had to rip out too many rows. Still feels good to know I have that lifeline in there, though.

And now, a quick list of reasons that I have not blogged in more than a month:

1. Job interviews, informational interviews, and lots of traveling to and from them. It never rains but it pours. After more than two months without a peep from anyone, I suddenly got three job interviews in two weeks, and scheduled a bunch of informational interviews around them. I am going to be superstitious and avoid going into detail until I actually get an offer (or two), but I would rate my mood on this front as "cautiously optimistic."

2. The FIFA World Cup. If you have never played soccer or lived in a soccer-loving country (i.e., anywhere outside the US), you might not understand. Imagine that you could only go to the yarn store once every four years, and in between you could only read about knitting online, but not buy anything. It's like that. I don't even care that the US has played like a bunch of crap-eating zombies (OK, so maybe I care a teensy bit), or that Chile didn't even qualify this year. I can still root for Brazil (since I speak Portuguese and have friends from there and can't help but love a team with a player who can dribble a ball with his head), or I can show the love to the underdogs and root for Ghana. Anyway, just ask Taz. I have entered every single match into my google calendar, and I have watched or recorded most of them. Even when I'm sitting alone in my living room at 11am, I cheer out loud and complain to the cats about the stupid referees.

3. The weather. Lately it has been too hot to do anything other than lie flat on my back on the coolest surface I can find, and dream of cool waterfalls and ice cream.

4. I am a bad person, or at least a bad, lazy blogger. At first I was going to wait until I uploaded the pictures from the Grand Canyon trip, but that is obviously going to take me a very very long time to get around to. Then I just kept putting it off. But I'm hoping you'll still love me anyway. *flashes winning smile and bats eyelashes* Right?

A tale of two friends

2006-05-02T22:28:00.000-04:00

Holly and I technically met in 8th grade, but it was in 10th grade, when we were actually at the same school, that we became friends. It was an autumn day, during soccer season, and the night before one of the girls on the soccer team had had a birthday party. The talk in the student lounge that day was all about who got drunk and what crazy things they did while intoxicated. Of the whole soccer team (which didn't have tryouts or cuts, so most of us were on it), we were among the approximately four girls not invited to said party. So, amid the din of the gossip, I asked her if she'd like to get together that weekend. Not to drink or dance naked on tables in front of boys, just to hang out.

She came over, and the highlights of the afternoon and evening included a very enthusiastic leaf fight, my cat puking under Holly's chair at the dinner table, and me laughing so hard I wet my pants. After those last two, I thought for sure she was no longer wondering why I hadn't been invited to that birthday party. I wouldn't have been surprised if she had asked the headmaster to change her class schedule around just to avoid being near me. But instead, she invited me to her house.

The two pals on top of East Rock, with Long Island Sound in the background.

Since then, we have written thousands of pages of notes to each other, discovered the laughing position,* gone camping, discovered Yorkshire together, been known to devour a whole box of Girl Scout cookies in 10 minutes when stressed, made a really weird joint art project, somehow made it through college and grad school, gotten married to two wonderful men (I swear, when I first met her husband, I thought I was suddenly discovering I had an extra brother), and had lots of leaf fights. It's been much harder for us to meet up since we finished high school, and before this weekend, it had been nearly two years since our last visit together, but each time we talk on the phone or see each other in person, it's as if no time has passed. I wish everyone could have the kind of lasting and deep a friendship we do.

The short version? It was a great visit, and an awesome weekend. And I'm so glad that she and her husband finally met Taz! Oh, and she wants to (re)learn to knit...

*No, this is nothing dirty. We just realized one day that if you start laughing while lying on your back with your knees folded and your feet in the air, it's really really hard to stop. Pants wetting may ensue. Or at the very least, shortness of breath.

A strange kind of camping

2006-05-01T20:30:00.000-04:00

On Thursday, I have to get up way before the crack of dawn to drive to the airport. I will then fly to Phoenix, Arizona (a state I've never visited before) to meet up with my husband (that's so fun to say!), and we'll fly together to Flagstaff (With all the flying time I'll be logging this week, maybe I'll actually finish those Samus sleeves). So, why are we going to Flagstaff? Because it's the closest airport to Grand Canyon National Park and we plan to spend the weekend camping, hiking, and celebrating Taz's birthday. I am sooooo excited!!!

Photo thanks to this site.

My parents took me on my first camping trip when I was four years old. I have owned my own tent, sleeping bag, backpack, and cook kit for years. I have had to scare black bears away from my campsite, I've canoed against my fair share of headwinds, and I've been to parts of Canada that many Canadians don't even know are there (Pickle Lake, anyone?). I like to think I know a thing or two about camping. And this trip is just three nights of car camping, in a campground with hot showers.

However, I am feeling strangely baffled when I confront the idea of packing for this trip. I am completely at home in the woods of the North, but high desert plateau is a climate utterly unfamiliar to me. I checked the weather forecast, and it's supposed to be sunny and low humidity everyday. Highs in the mid 70s. Sounds awesome, right? Well, there's one little issue: The lows at night will only be in the high 30s!!! That's just a few degrees above freezing! I'll want shorts and tank tops, but we'll also need long underwear, wool socks, and probably extra bedding for inside the tent (This is only Taz's second trip, and I don't want him to be put off camping forever because of three nights of frostbitten toes!!!). If this were a normal car camping trip, I wouldn't have to worry about doing a good packing job, because whatever didn't fit in the trunk could be crammed into the back seat, or even tied to the roof. But since I have to fly there first, I have to fit a tent, two sleeping bags, extra bedding, pots and pans, and oh yeah, clothes, into two suitcases and/or large backpacks and a carry-on. I can't begin to tell you how strange it feels to be packing for a camping trip using a regular suitcase.

OK, so maybe knitting's not the only thing I get obsessive about...

Anyway, that's my big excuse for not having any knitting- or book-related content for you today, and for the fact that I haven't yet gotten around to uploading the pictures from our wonderful weekend with H and her husband.

Now, to close, I offer you some gratuitous cat photos:

A slightly dark shot of Ivy chilling on the bookshelf.

Ben wrestling with his favorite chair.

Knitting as a subculture

2006-04-28T10:45:00.000-04:00

So on Wednesday night, we had an out-of-town visitor at our SnB. Her name is Carrie, and she's writing a book on knitting as a subculture, for a series her publisher is doing on different American subcultures. It really got us talking about how there's a language that non-knitters really wouldn't understand. Like if I said, "So the other day, I was KIPing, and the pattern said to do a yo followed by a k2tog. It's just not working, so if I don't frog it, I'm just going to end up with another UFO," you'd know exactly what I meant. A muggle? Not so much. Since Carrie's a knitter too, we didn't feel too much like we were being looked at as weird mutants under scientific observation. Instead, we talked to her so much I think she started to feel overwhelmed. But she was a good sport about it:

Jessica, Carrie, and Joanne

Meanwhile, I got tips from Joanne on sponsoring green card applications through marriage, and managed to finish the heel gussets on my Jaywalker:

Please excuse the flash, but it was the only way to get anything near accurate color.

As for the rest of my knitting projects, well, let's just say that a quick organization of the closet has revealed that they are all languishing, neglected thanks to my infatuation with Jaywalker (partly due to the fact that it's a very portable project). Let's review. First, there are the Samus sleeves, which should have been finished, blocked, and sewn onto the rest of the sweater ages ago, considering this was my Knitting Olympics project:

Color is actually much greener than this (see what I mean about the
flash?). And the two sleeves at once idea to avoid second-sleeve-itis?
Achieved the opposite of the desired effect.

Then we have the Merino Lace Shawl, which I forced myself to start before attempting Hanging Vines, so that I could get some "practice" with simple knitted lace. This, however, seems to be a little too simple to hold my interest very well. I'm sure it will look better once it's blocked:

Color is much more blue-grey than this.

And remember the famous Merino Lace Cardigan? The one that took me forever to do the shoulder increases? The one that's miles and miles of stockinette? Yeah, I couldn't even bring myself to photograph it. Let's just say it still looks a hell of a lot like it did in this post. Don't look at the date on that.

On top of all that guilt, I now find myself faced with two more ~~frivolous distractions~~ urgent projects: A baby hat for Cari's soon-to-be-born Thumper, and a top-down (pattern TBD) sweater from Blue Sky Alpaca "orgasmic" cotton. I have Lauren to thank for that last one. Too bad I'm neither as tiny nor as fast a knitter as she is. But what I really want to do is magically finish all my current projects (to heck with process for now--sorry, Margene) so that I can start Hanging Vines (which, incidentally, Margene inspired me to knit). Every time I look at the yarn for it, which I bought from Judy, I want to cry. It is so soft and beautiful. But it must wait at least until the needles are freed up. Which means I'd better get knitting on all these other things.

However, that's unlikely to happen today, unless my vacuum decides not to be a wimp like it was two weeks ago. I have to clean house and do a bunch of errands because tonight my best friend* from high school and her husband are coming for the weekend. Any ideas on how I can convince her that learning to knit will help her stress levels?

*That link tells you nothing about her personality, but at least you can see a picture of her. Though, really, even the picture is a bit odd. Anyway, she's awesome!

Heel pooling

2006-04-22T09:37:00.000-04:00

I've gotten in quite a bit of good knitting time this week, especially on Wednesday when I hung out with Lauren, Joanne and Lauren's friend Stephanie (formerly of everyone's favorite yarn company) for an "unemployment pizza dinner" at a famous local pizza joint*. So between that and SnB, I'm nearly done with the heel flap on my first Jaywalker, and it looks like this:

The classic sl1, k1, repeat to end/sl1, p to end heel flap.

I don't mind the pooling too much, since it has happened on every single heel flap I've ever knit with variegated yarn. And this yarn is so soft (no nylon content at all) that I guess it's best to have a thicker fabric at the heel. However, I can't help but feel that on Jaywalker in particular, the pooling takes away a bit from the zigzag effect. I'm not going to rip back now, but I'd love to hear if anyone has suggestions for a good basic short row heel I can try on the next pair. Ideas?

*For New Haven pizza afficionados, I should note that we all agreed that we prefer various other places over Pepe's for pizza flavor and topping options. However, Pepe's does win on friendliness. If you have no idea why this deserves a footnote, you're obviously not from New Haven, and you should read up on The Great Debate.

"The Case of the Disappearing Blogger" or, What the heck has this woman been up to for the past several weeks???

2006-04-19T00:30:00.000-04:00

Well, for starters, I was cleaning the guest room. That might not sound like much, but it actually took the better part of three days, and involved so much vacuuming that the poor thing kept overheating and shutting itself down. It also involved buying better yarn storage:

Sorted by weight (Lopi on the bottom)

Then my parents came for a visit, which involved a lot of good eating. I also helped my mom start her first sock. OK, actually it was really just moral support. She is the one who taught me everything I know about knitting, after all. Isn't it a beauty so far, though?

Lorna's Laces on US #1's

Not to be outdone, and to do my part for someone's Spring KAL (even though I seem to be the only one doing it), I started my own Jaywalkers:

Artyarns Ultramerino on US #1's

After my folks left, I did a little of this and a little of that, topping off the week with some more yummy food and a day in NYC. After brunch with some dear friends, Taz and I got some exercise wandering around Central Park, finally ending up here to cool off with the penguins. I like the backdrop in this pic:

In front of the sea lion exhibit

The next day we also biked to the bookstore and made a valiant effort at planning ahead, despite the fact that we don't know where we'll be living two months from now, thus making most planning somewhat futile at this point. Still, getting these made us feel a little more in control:

Selected from among a dizzying plethora of
books on the subject

Oh yeah. And speaking of all that, on Friday the 7th, while my folks were visiting, we thought it might be a good idea to get me some health insurance (ah, the joys of unemployment!) and start making some progress with Taz's green card application. So we swung by City Hall and made it legal:

Please note that Taz is wearing the "boyfriend sweater"
I knit him! (I cast on for it just two months after we started
dating, and it was the first sweater I ever knit). His wearing
it shows two things: (1) It seems I have successfully broken
"the curse" (knock on wood) and (2) Taz is the sweetest,
most amazing man alive.

I admit it, even though it was a very simple affair, and it was "only" the legal part, I cried while saying "I will." Sigh... I am so happy.

Happy Retirement, Jane!!!

2006-04-01T10:35:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was my mother's last day at work, and the night before I attended a retirement party for her. Today, I know she can't wait to get started on all the fun and exciting activities she has planned, now that she doesn't have to get up and go to the office everyday. Having lived survived several mergers over the course of her career in human resources, upon retirement she had 35 1/2 years of service with a company that is officially only 11 years old. Even though I never went with her on any of those "take your daughter to work" days, her career has had a profound effect on me and who I've become. This quick little story might give you some idea:

One day when I was about 4 or maybe 5, my mother came into my room and found me playing with my dollhouse. She sat down next to me and started asking me about different things in the house, and what the people were doing. I showed her how the girl and boy dolls were playing together, and I think the father doll was in the kitchen. The mother doll was about to go out of the house, but she had something rather like a domino stuck to her hand. When my mom asked me what that was, I replied "Oh, that's her briefcase. She's going to work now."

Thanks to my mother (and my father, and their mutual support of one another's dreams), it simply never occurred to me that anyone's mother might not work outside of the home. Later, when we moved to Syracuse, I had friends with stay-at-home moms. One of them ran a daycare in her home, and in retrospect I'd venture to say that she worked at least as many hours as my mom (who typically worked 10-plus hour days). I came to understand that all moms work hard, no matter where they spend their days. But because my mom had a career in industry, and my dad was the one at home (at least until he finished grad school), I never had the chance to get stuck in the traditional mindset that mothers should not have their own outside careers.

I'm not going to lie and say it was a breeze for her. She faced many challenges (especially considering the corporate culture of the late 70s and early 80s) in balancing work, marriage, motherhood and personal time. I remember that the summer after my first year of college, she and I went on a mother-daughter canoe trip in the Adirondacks for a long weekend. By then I was as strong a paddler and as good a camper as her, and the route we picked wasn't too challenging, so we had plenty of time to relax and enjoy each other's company. One evening we were sitting by the campfire and started reminiscing about my early camping trips. Mom likes to say that my first camping trip was actually in utero, since she was 5 months pregnant with me when she went on her first trip. Then we started talking about those very early years in general, and my mom began to cry. She told me how guilty she still felt for not having been around as much as she felt she should when my brother and I were little, and she asked me to forgive her. All I could say was, "Mom, there's nothing to forgive. If it weren't for the choices you made, you wouldn't have been the example you are to me, and I wouldn't be who I am today."

I think reflecting back on my mother's career is particularly apt at this time in my life. Even though I'll be 30 this year, I'm really just starting out on my own career path, I'll be getting married soon, and hope to have kids one day. It seems like everywhere I turn there is pessimism about the plausibility of balancing work, marriage, and motherhood, never mind personal development. But whenever I start to worry about it, I just take a deep breath and think of my mom, and my faith in myself returns. I know I can do it--she proved to me that it's possible.

Lots of women friends my age have started noticing--often with a certain level of concern--that they are turning into their mothers. All I have to say to that is, I should be so lucky.

Congratulations, Mom!

A nearly perfect day

2006-03-27T12:16:00.000-05:00

What better way to spend a Saturday than acquiring yarn and books and hanging out with old friends? The only thing that could have made it better would have been having Taz there too, but one can't have everything, I suppose. I got up fairly early on Saturday and drove straight up I-91 to Northampton, home of everyone's favorite yarn store. After about an hour of wandering around the place with my jaw on the floor, I bought some yarn (yeah, like you really thought I could get out of there without spending any money), and met up with Mishmish and J for lunch. We all went to school together, and now that they live in Providence and not Oregon, we can actually get together fairly often. I always have a blast when I'm with them. Here they are on campus:

J and Mishmish perusing the Sophian

We had a yummy lunch of hot tea, miso soup, and sushi at Osaka and then hit a bunch of the shops downtown. Having already spent quite a bit on yarn, I didn't buy much, especially since I knew later there would be books. After all the downtown wandering, we headed up to campus with the intention of going to the campus store since I had promised Sami I would buy her license plate frames for her new car. Alas, since it was the Saturday after Spring Break, the whole building was closed, and there was no alum paraphernalia to be had. I did, however, get a picture of the crazy new building:

The (new for me) campus center. It may not match the rest of the
architecture on campus, but it has a working fireplace inside, and it's
still prettier than certain houses I can think of.

After our trip to campus (which was not really much of a trip down memory lane, interestingly enough) we headed out to the Bookmill. I have mentioned this place before, and there's a reason. It is heaven. Used books, used music, a cafe, a restaurant, and even a small fiber shop, all in a rambly old former mill building next to (of course) a beautiful mill stream. I spent less than $40, and I got six books, three of which were hardcover and nearly new. I got some for Taz, and I got these ones for myself:

Caramelo by Sandra Cisneros, Zorro by Isabel Allende, and Memorias
Postumas de Bras Cubas by Machado de Asis.

It took superhuman strength to tear ourselves away from there, but eventually we did, laden with books and craving coffee. We went back to downtown Northampton* and had a lovely dinner at La Cazuela. Then I drove home, changed into my pj's, and fell asleep on Taz's shoulder. My dreams that night were of yarn. I swear it, I actually dreamed about all the wonderful yarn I bought:

Berroco Ultra Alpaca for knitting the VK Cardigan like the one that Lauren knit

A very nice lady at WEBS helped me calculate the necessary yardage for the substitution (the pattern actually calls for Alchemy Lone Star). I bought six skeins, but for some reason only five ended up in that photo. I think Ben had stolen one to wrestle with. Anyway, I was also thinking of others while I was there. My mom is retiring at the end of this week, and my hope is that she'll finally take the time to try sock knitting. Like the good daughter I am, I thought I ought to help her along:

Sock starter kit for Mom: Ann Norling pattern, bamboo dpns in US0
and US1, and Lorna's Laces.

Of course, once I saw the sock yarn, I couldn't leave without getting some for myself, too:

Sock goodies for me: Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush, two different
colorways of Artyarns Ultramerino, and two new sets of dpns.

At least one of those colorways will be used to knit myself a pair of socks for Jenn's (proposed) Spring KAL. I'm not sure which one seems more Spring-y. I am thinking the pink would look great in some sort of lace pattern. Not sure what kind of texture to use with the green. What do you think?

43 Things

2006-03-21T22:27:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Taz, I just learned about this cool site called 43 Things. You can set goals for yourself and talk to other people with similar goals, and post about your progress. There's also a way to list all the places you want to visit (and have visited). I'm not feeling quite ambitious enough (yet) to come up with 43 things to do (I have 27) and 43 places to visit (I have 23), but I still think I made a respectable list. I know you wanna see my lists of things and places!

Algum dia, Rio, algum dia...

And if you want to see Taz's lists, go here and here. OK, time to go make some progress on goal #27.

Kindergarten all over again

2006-03-19T11:21:00.000-05:00

Yup, that's what it feels like. I have spent the past hour and a half studying, and I've come to the conclusion that I can't read. I can hear you saying "Um, I hope it's not English we're talking about here." Despite my often careless spelling, no, it's not English we're talking about. It's Hindi. More specifically, Hindi script, which is actually called Devanagari Script. You may have seen it before, especially if you take yoga classes or if you have and Ohm tattoo, but if not, here's what it looks like:

Picture thanks to this site.

Unlike, say, Chinese, it is a phonetic alphabet. That certainly ought to make it easier for me, especially since I like to think that I'm pretty good with new languages. But the sounds represented by these letters do not have a one-to-one correspondence with the English alphabet. There are sounds in Hindi that only exist in English when you run two words together, and some that don't exist in English at all.

I actually have confidence in my ability to learn something close to the correct pronunciation eventually, especially since my soon-to-be husband speaks Hindi fluently. And it's not like I even have to learn it at all, since the family always speaks English at home (and not just for my benefit). But I really want to learn it very very much, but I feel like I can't even get going with learning it until I get the alphabet down, and that is proving to be quite a challenge. My brother, who after three years of living in Japan has finally memorized hiragana (but only a few kanji), suggested treating it like one of those codes we used to make up when we were kids, and practice writing all kinds of words--even if they're all in English--using this new "code" until I get used to how the sounds look. A very smart idea, and with the help of a couple websites and my loving man, I may finally get it. Then it's on to grammar, vocab, and actual sentences.

So far, all I know how to say (though I couldn't read or write any of this) are the following: "I have to go pee pee," "Yes," "No," "Thank you," "Me too," It's OK," "It's over/done," and the most important of all, "I love you." Hmmm, maybe I can get away with only learning how to read and write that last one...

"Busy" doesn't even begin to describe it

2006-03-15T17:55:00.000-05:00

I can't believe I have let so much time go by without posting! I hope I haven't lost all my readers (not that there were soooo many to begin with). Anyway, you might wonder how someone who's unemployed can be too busy to blog. A partial list of what I've been up to since the last post (in no particular order):

1. Went to DC for second round interview for "dream job" at this place
2. Uploaded over 180 photos to finally make an online album of the India trip (send me an e-mail if you want an invite to view it--I couldn't make it publicly available without getting permission from way too many people)
3. Made 208 prints of India photos and assembled a real album. Even without writing captions, this took a loooong time. But at least my non-computer-friendly grandmother could see the pictures (see #4 below).
4. Traveled to Wilmington, NC (via Baltimore) for my Grandmom's 80th birthday party. This involved my third round-trip train ride to Baltimore in four weeks, as well as an 8-hour (each way) road trip with my parents. Thank goodness we get along so well.
5. While in Wilmington I saw two of my cousins, one of whom I hadn't seen in 10 years, and the other in 15. The younger one, who is in the Navy, is already married and a father! The other one is a sous chef at this place.
6. Found out that I didn't get the "dream job."
7. The same day, found out that my mom was in the hospital. She's OK now!
8. Took Ben to the vet because he was walking funny when I got home one day. By the time we got there, of course, he was acting totally normal. The vet said his leg probably just fell asleep. I had no idea that happened to cats!
9. I also learned (thanks to Ben) that dogs are not the only neutered male pets that like to hump things.
10. Watched the New Haven St. Patrick's Day Parade, during which the ban on public drunkenness was temporarily lifted. I'm sure that had much more to do with an inability to enforce it anyway than with the police wanting to be "nice." Anyway, the worst case I saw was a guy taking regular swigs directly from a bottle of Jager. I almost vomited just looking at him.
11. Went to Mishmish's birthday party, where we were served the most divine cocktails ever invented. (Blood orange martini, anyone?) I think Mish should add a recipe section to her blog. Just sayin'.
12. Had dinner with Sami and saw Transamerica.
13. Went on several long walks. Two of them with a fellow knitter and her dog, Zeus. The one I went on alone ended in panic, when I realized that the hat I knit while in India had fallen out of my pocket. Luckily when I did a drive-by later, it was still lying on the road, unharmed. Phew!
14. Found out that the people at the local Hindu temple have no problem doing an interfaith Hindu-Buddhist ceremony, even though they've never done one before. Two priceless samples from the conversation: "That should be no problem. Do you need us to find you a Buddhist?" and Q: "How soon ahead of time do we need to reserve the space?" A: "Well, it would be nice if you could give us a week or two of warning." Talk about laid back! Definitely a good vibe there.
15. Got hopelessly behind on my blog reading.
16. Failed to medal in the Knitting Olympics.
17. I did, however, finish the body of Samus, and get a start on the first sleeve:

Samus body completed

Even though I didn't finish the whole thing in time for the Olympics, I'm still glad I participated, because it did make me knit faster than I think I ever have before. Now if only I can avoid sleeve-itis...

Samus obsession

2006-02-19T18:25:00.000-05:00

Most of the time, as you can probably tell from the "On My Needles" part of the sidebar, I have several projects going on simultaneously. This is not weird. It makes sense, really. A small or recently started project is easily portable, perfect for public transport knitting and sneak knitting while listening to a speaker. Also, there always has to be one mostly-stockinette project, perfect for social knitting or other situations where deep concentration is impossible. Then there are the challenging projects, like lace knitting or intarsia, that require concentration and attention to detail. Finally, there are the quickie gift projects that get cast on when I suddenly remember that so-and-so's birthday party is next week and I had been planning to knit her something complicated but really only have time for a hat or wristwarmers (if I'm lucky), and get cast off as soon as I can whip them off the needles.

The Knitting Olympics has changed all that for me. Sure, according to my sidebar I still have several WIPs on the needles, but the truth is, Samus has become my ~~obsession~~ one and only knitting love since the lighting of the flame. My original goal was to finish the whole thing, with added waist-shaping before the end of the Games. Some minor details like my need for at least a few hours of sleep every night and the fact that I am not a speed knitter have caused me to drop the waist-shaping plan (thanks, Sami, for telling me it's possible to sew darts in later, thereby allowing me to justify that decision). At this point, I'm also thinking that maybe I should be happy with just having a complete sweater body. And maybe some sleeves started. As long as they're started, I can't get sleeve-itis, right? I mean, considering that the only other adult sweater I've ever knit got ignored for months at a time and took me more than a year to finish, maybe just getting to 75% in two weeks is a lot to be proud of. Right? Right?

Anyway, I had a round trip train ride to NYC yesterday to work on it, and tomorrow and Wednesday I'll be on Amtrak for about 4 hours each, so hopefully my wrists and shoulders will hold up and allow me to take full advantage of all that uninterrupted knitting time. Here's how Samus is looking now:

Maybe about five and a half inches? Only 9 and a half
more to go before armhole shaping...

The yarn is actually a greener and much more intense teal than it looks in that picture. What can I say? It gets dark early this far north. I did make one mistake in the cable band, but considering that it will end up being in the back of the sweater, I decided not the rip back to fix it. I can live with imperfection as long as I don't have to look down and see it every five seconds whenever I wear the thing:

The color in this pic is slightly more accurate.
But still too blue.

Not bad for my first ever attempt at cables, if I say so myself. My verdict on cables: Cables really are pretty cool. It's like magic the way they snake around all over the place. Oh, and I'm a chart girl, not a written directions girl, when it comes to cables. At least when the chart is as clear and easy-to-read as it is in this pattern. Hopefully, when I get back from DC (from my second-round interview for my dream job!!!!), I'll have at least started the armhole shaping...

No, I'm not dead

2006-02-16T09:34:00.000-05:00

But thank you all for your concern. Seriously, I knew people read my blog, but I had no idea they followed it closely enough to actually worry about me if I don't post for a couple of weeks. I'm truly touched and somewhat surprised. You probably don't want to hear my excuses, but here they are anyway: I was traveling (to DC for a job interview, to Baltimore to visit my folks, and to Philly to hang out with Taz for a couple days). And since I got home, I've been busy, mostly madly knitting in the vain hope that I will actually be past the 50% done mark on my Samus before the end of the Knitting Olympics.

In my usual lazy blogger style, I don't yet have pictures of my Samus-in-progress. But I will. Very soon. Meanwhile, I will attempt to distract you by showing you pictures of exotic animals I saw when I was in India (remember that I promised and entry on "Fauna" as well as flora?). Enjoy!

The first safari we went on was in the B.R. Hills Wildlife Sanctuary, and the first thing we saw was this:

Indian bison. (Sorry for the blurriness).

They are really big. Even though I was told they are not the same as water buffalo, it seems that they are actually related, at least according to Wikipedia.

A little later, by way of contrast, we saw these delicate creatures:

Spotted deer.

Also known as chital. Like Bambi, spots and all, only bigger. After a while, though, they didn't seem quite as special, since we saw them around nearly every turn. Still beautiful, but almost as common as white-tailed deer are here in the northeastern US. We also saw barking deer and sambar, but we didn't get pictures.

The morning after that safari, we went on an elephant ride:

She raised her trunk like that when the driver said "Salute!"

She was about a 19-year old female, and apparently had a dominant personality, because this little 8-year old guy was scared to death of her:

He had a hard time running away with those chains on his feet.
But at night, they let them graze in the jungle, so don't' get too upset.

The next day, we drove to another jungle lodge at Bandipur, and went on another evening safari. We saw lots more deer, and the rear ends of some elephants that had been eating salt deposits but ran away when they heard our jeep. But the only new animals we actually got pictures of were these langurs:

They ran into the trees when they heard us coming.

And this guy who didn't budge when our jeep drove up. We think he was probably acting as a sentry:

He was literally 5 feet away from me. It was so cool!

Two days after that safari, we found our selves at the Mysore Zoo, which is reputed to be one of the best in the country. There we got to see the animals just as they were taking their after-breakfast walks:

The tiger we didn't get to see on safari.

Outside the tiger's enclosure was a sign that read "Do not cross barrier. Survivors will be prosecuted." Another sign than Taz got a big kick out of was this one:

I am NOT a chimpanzee!!

Quite possibly the coolest thing we saw at the zoo was this Tibetan Bear:

Meditating, perhaps?

I swear, he sat like that for at least ten minutes! Another girl who was standing near us decided that he must have been doing his morning yoga.

Earlier that day, we also met this monkey at the temple on Chamundi Hill just outside the city:

Trust me, it was a female.

We gave her the leftover banana from our offering tray, but she must get enough that she can afford to be picky, since she took one bite and threw the rest on the ground (see that blob by her foot?). It didn't look ripe to me either, so I guess I can't blame her.

Of course, the camera is rarely as fast as the animals. In addition to all the cool creatures I've just shown you, we also saw (but didn't get pictures of): a pair of wild peacocks, several kinds of parrots and cockateels, a racket-tailed drongo, a family of wild boar, a snake (probably not a cobra), and an elephant riding on a flatbed truck in downtown Bangalore.

Four Things

2006-01-25T18:14:00.000-05:00

I may truly be the last one to get around to this, but here goes:

Four jobs you have had in your life

1. putting the magnetic strips in library books
2. English teacher to adult students in Chile
3. substitute teacher in a public high school
4. risk analysis research intern for the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Four movies you could watch over and over

1. Return of the Jedi
2. The Princess Bride
3. Radio Flyer
4. One Magic Christmas

Four places you have lived

1. Syracuse, NY
2. Northampton, MA
3. Santiago, Chile
4. Hereford, MD

Four TV shows you love to watch

1. Jeopardy!
2. What Not to Wear (BBC version only, thank you very much)
3. 24
4. Law & Order: SVU

Four places you have traveled

1. Peru
2. Japan
3. Ireland
4. India

Four websites you visit daily.

1. Idealist
2. Bloglines
3. Wikipedia
4. Google

Four of your favorite foods

1. cheddar cheese and beer fondue (with baguette pieces for dipping, of course)
2. Baigan Bharta with butter naan
3. pizza with hot cherry peppers, mushrooms, and pepperoni (especially if it's from here)
4. apple crisp

Four places you would rather be right now

1. in Philly with Taz
2. canoeing in northern Canada (but only if by "right now" you mean the height of summer)
3. digging for mussels on the beach in Chiloe
4. in India playing cards and eating

Knitting? What's that?

2006-01-24T12:30:00.000-05:00

Oh, you mean that thing where you wave around those pointy sticks and wiggle all that string? Riiiight. It's all coming back to me now...

Contrary to whatever impression recent posts may have left you with, I do still knit. No, I was not as prolific or speedy with my airplane knitting as I had ~~deluded myself into thinking~~ hoped I would be, but I have finished a few objects since my departure for India.

After all my agonizing over what WIPs to take with me to India, I only ended up finishing one thing:

The Live Dangerously Hat

I like it a lot, but despite the fact that the pattern's inventor says you don't need to swatch, there is still a point at which you have to figure out your gauge. Unfortunately, when I got to that point, I figured slightly wrong, and the hat ended up quite loose. It fits me very well when my hair's in a ponytail, though.

Next, we have the wristwarmers I finally knit for myself. Having knit so many pairs for other people (and I'm still not done filling all the orders), you might think I'd be sick of them. But while I may have committed the pattern to memory, I was excited by the thought of having my own pair, and this yarn was a pleasure to knit with:

Yarn thanks to my lovely Secret Pal. 70/30 Wool/Silk blend. Mmmmm.

No sooner had we arrived home from India, and I got a call from my mom that my cousin's baby had been born. For some reason I had thought the due date was in February, but I was wrong--she was on time, and she was in January. So even though I had been planning on doing a coordinated hat-bootie-blankie set, I decided speed was of the essence, and I whipped up this adapted version of the Umbilical Cord Hat:

Paige's baby hat

It was knit it Lion Brand Microspun, which, while brightly colored and easy to wash, is a pain to knit with, especially if all you have is bamboo. I actually went out and bought Addi Turbos just to end the torture of the acrylic squeaking and splitting on the bamboo dpns. Yes, I know I had vowed to boycott Lion Brand. Shut up. But doesn't Ben look cute in it?

Ben, the reluctant model

Finally, remember my adventures in crochet? Remember this?

Not yet done in this pic, but now it's finished!

Well, it's done. I stupidly forgot to take a picture of it, after trying to wrap it around one of the cats didn't work. But once I do take a proper photo, you can find it along with all my other 2006 FOs in my 2006 Finished Objects Album.

In other knitting news, I have made zero progress on the merino lace cardigan, but I have cast on for the merino lace shawl. I'm on row 10. Still 10 rows before I have to face my fear and tackle the lace chart. I'm also almost done with x-mas surprise #5, now that I finally have the yarn I need to finish it. And I've decided to participate in the Knitting Olympics. My entry will be Samus, in a teal color. I already have the yarn, and I'm hoping that knitting the cabled waist band counts as "swatching" according to Stephanie.

Also, as I'm sure you've read on many other blogs, there was a really fun gathering of knit bloggers at Claudia's place on Sunday. I drove up with Lauren, but I forgot my camera. Apparently some people are calling that camnesia, which could possibly be my new favorite word. Anyway, if you want pics, you'll have to visit a few of the many other blogs with posts about it. And yes, I'm sure I forgot to link to some of the wonderful people who were there. I'm sorry--there were over 40 people there, and I'd be coding all day if I tried to get everyone!

Las, but not least, my wonderful SP6 pal, Emily, sent me one last package (timed to arrive after my return), and it was huge! I haven't had time to take pictures of all the goodies yet, but the ones of the chocolate persuasion are nearly gone, so I'd better hurry up.

Juicy

2006-01-18T17:45:00.000-05:00

Fasten your seatbelts, my friends. This is gonna be a long one. Even without the animal photos (Taz accidentally absconded with the CD containing those). I do plan to post lots of exotic animal pics very soon. Meanwhile, let's start out with a list of highlights from the trip, shall we? For you gossip hounds who are only interested in the juicy details of the engagement, you can skip ahead and read about it here. But despite how wonderful it was, it really truly was not the only cool thing about the trip. Anyway, on with the list:

India Trip Higlights

1. Finally meeting Taz's extended family (I had already met his mom). This included two sets of aunts and uncles, his grandmom, two cousins, his brother, his sister-in-law, and his niece, as well as several "honorary" aunts and uncles who are technically family friends. The verdict? They are all sweet, loving, generous, fun, and slightly quirky. Just like my own family. Within five minutes of meeting all of them, I already felt comfortable enough to tease them. I hope that didn't cause any of them to take permanent offense, but seeing as they came up with nicknames for me (such as P's favorite "Brrrr") and started teasing me as well, I have a feeling that I'm "in."

2. The food. YUM!! I was worried I'd get sick, but I really didn't at all. One or two days out of the whole trip where I felt a little "delicate," but no actual illness. And thank goodness, because if I hadn't been able to eat all the wonderful food, I would have cried. There was homemade food, snack food, sweets, Indian Chinese food, fish curry, mutton biryani, aloo gobi, tandoori chicken, kebabs, dosa, channa masala, garam chapatti, pani poori, pao bhaji, masala chai, cutting chai, coconut water (nectar of the gods), sugar cane juice, idlis with sambar, and even paan. I think my Spice Tolerance Threshold (STT) was raised quite a bit while I was in India, because last week I ate at an Indian restaurant in NYC and I found the food a bit bland.

3. The weather. Can you say high 70's and sunny? Every. Single. Day.

4. Playing lots of Teen Pathi (aka Indian Poker) with Taz's family. His brother in particular was determined to get everyone addicted to gambling. All I can say is, thank goodness we were playing for rupees, despite P's best efforts to make me and Taz pay up in dollars.

5. Seeing the countryside and rural villages in Karnataka and Kerala. Having grown up in upstate NY seeing cornfields, dairy farms and apple orchards, it was pretty neat for me to see rice paddies, coconut groves, and banana plantations lining the road.

6. Chuckling at Taz's identity crisis when people kept asking him where he's from. Since he was traveling with me, and he doesn't look south Indian, people assumed he must be a foreigner. One guy even guessed Germany, and would only believe he was Indian when Taz actually started speaking in Hindi! But the best moment was when we were at the Mysore Zoo and some young guys asked us to pose in a picture with them, just as if we had been another exhibit of exotic animals.

7. Taking part in the puja at Taz's mom's house. It was really neat!

8. The clothes. Being able to wear a salwar kameez everyday without getting weird looks is awesome. They are soooo comfortable! The sari was a little more awkward for me to wear, but it was still really beautiful, and I guess practice makes perfect with such things. And Taz's family is so generous, I'd estimate I only actually bought maybe 50% of the mountain of clothes I came back with.

9. Watching Hindi movies without subtitles and only Taz's translation to help me. He prefers to listen to ten minutes of dialogue and then give me a two-sentence "gist" of what was said. But I actually did enjoy myself quite a bit, and I'm pretty sure I understood the movies. I especially liked Kalyug, which has an interesting theme and a great sound track.

10. Going to the mall in India. I know there are some who would say that a mall is not an authentic Indian experience, but it really is. It's where all of Bangalore goes on Sundays, that's for sure! It was kind of surreal, because the mall felt very familiar, except that everyone was walking around in Indian clothes, and the McDonald's was serving a Maharaja Mac.

11. The traffic. Taz kept trying to get me to drive in India, but I think that was just because he was exhausted from all the swerving around auto rickshaws, bouncing over surprise unmarked speed bumps, navigating between potholes, and trying to avoid the oncoming traffic that had decided to use our lane as a passing lane. At least all the excitement makes it hard to fall asleep at the wheel!

12. Seeing all the places where Taz grew up in Bombay. I got to see his school, his childhood apartment, the cricket pitch where he used to play, the pool he used to swim in, the movie theater he used to visit, and the market where his family buys vegetables.

OK, so there were lots of other great things about the trip, but I think now it's time to tell you all about how Taz and I got engaged.

The Proposal

Apparently, on New Year's Day, Taz told his mom and his brother that he was planning on proposing to me. That of course meant that by the time we arrived in Bombay with her on January 2nd, the whole family knew. Except for me. So anyway, we stayed up quite late on the evening of the 2nd, playing cards (see #4 above) at Taz's aunt and uncle's house. Around 2:30am we finally headed out, and as soon as we pulled out of the apartment complex, Taz says to me, "Wanna go for coffee?" Considering that over the past two nights combined we had slept less than five hours, at first I thought he was insane. But then I decided that half an hour wasn't going to make much of a difference at that point, so we might as well have a few quiet moments together. So we went to a fancy all-night cafe and got some tea. We started talking about the trip and Taz asked me what I thought of his family and my India experience in general. Then he asked me, as he often does, if I'll be with him forever. And as I always do, I said yes. But then he paused and said, "Are you sure? Because I'm really asking this time." I burst into tears, but I managed to pull myself together enough to say "Yes, I will marry you." Then we chatted a little while more before going to get some sleep.

The Engagement

The first thing Taz's mom said to me on January 3rd was "Welcome to the family!" in the most cheerful voice I've ever heard. First thing after breakfast, we went to Taz's grandmom's house, where there was a little thing to welcome me to the family. Everyone fed us bits of sugar and blessed us:

A blessing from Taz's grandmom

Then we went ring shopping, went to lunch at a family friend's house, I went to the hair salon with Taz's mom, and everyone did a whole bunch of other errands. In the evening, we came back and Taz's aunt helped me get into my new sari:

My first time in a sari!

Then we sat on the couch and we each fed one another a piece of sweet. Then Taz put the ring on my finger and a bit of red powder on my forehead:

After that, family members took turns feeding us each a piece of sweet and giving me really beautiful jewelry. Taz's brother, who had flown in with his wife from Bangalore just for a few hours to be there with us, couldn't let everyone take things too seriously. So he took an entire sweet for each of us (these sweets were about the size of a large piece of sushi) and took our picture with our cheeks bulging:

Just a couple of chipmunks...

Then, after lots of hugging and more pictures, we all headed off to dinner at a great Thai restaurant, where we were presented with a cake. Taz's cousin felt it important that I end up with cake on my face:

Don't worry, Taz got "caked" too.

India was amazing, Taz's family was amazing, and it was all just perfect.

Flora (Fauna to come later)

2006-01-11T16:17:00.000-05:00

This is not going to be a well-written post. And I don't have time to type out all the details of Taz's proposal and our engagement ceremony, much less a full list of highlights from the trip. I do promise to do all those things and more in the next post, when I will be at home ~~unemployed~~ with lots of free time on my hands. Meanwhile, to tempt you, I offer the following pictures of some of the more interesting flora I encountered in India. And don't whine that "plants are boring, they don't do anything," because I swear that these I'm about to show you add a lot of zest to life. And besides, plants have fiber. And fiber, as all good knitters know, is what it's all about.

First, something to wake you up:

Mmmmm, coffee...

And now, to liven up your morning eggs:

Black pepper.

If you need an afternoon pick-me-up:

Those bright green bushes? Tea!

And finally, well, I guess I can't really claim "flower" status, no matter how pretty I felt wearing this. But hey, it's silk!

My first time in a sari!

This was taken just before the actual engagement ceremony. Taz's aunt helped me put it on (a feat I fear I may never learn to manage on my own!). His sister-in-law and brother gave me this gorgeous sari even before they knew we were getting engaged. Everyone in the family is generous beyond words.

Next time: monkeys, elephants, meditating bears, the "Bryna Pose," trip highlights, and all the juicy details.

First things first

2006-01-09T12:37:00.000-05:00

Yes, I'm back from India. So is Taz (luckily he had no trouble getting back into the country). I had an amazing time. I got to meet Taz's extended family, I went on jungle safaris, I shopped 'til I dropped, I drank a lot of fresh coconut water, I ate a lot of spicy food, and I learned random Punjabi swear words from Taz's brother. I promise lots of pics, and a link to an album of the trip. I also promise to regale you all with several stories of our adventures and lists of cool things I saw. But first things first.

OK, so it wasn't really the first thing that happened in India, chronologically speaking. Actually, it was one of the last things. But it was very important. Anyone who wants the details can e-mail me for them, but for the rest of you, I think a picture is worth a thousand words:

"Happy" doesn't even begin to describe it.

On January 3rd, 2006, at 3:00 AM, after dating each other for a little over 3 years, and after I had been in India for 3 weeks, Taz asked me to marry him. I cried. And I said yes. Of course.

The little stowaway

2005-12-11T23:23:00.000-05:00

Welp, I'm all packed. Except for my carry-on bag, which is almost finished. The house is pretty much ready, the laundry's done, the perishables are out of the fridge, the windows are locked, my iPod is updated, and I've even cast on for the hat part of the hat and scarf set (I thought airport security might look more kindly on knitting needles that actually had knitting on them). So really, there are just a few more house-tidying things to do, aside from the slightly OCD checking and re-checking of the tickets and passport I'll be doing right up until I get in the cab tomorrow morning. There's just one tiny problem:

All together now: "Awwwwwww!"

Ivy doesn't want me to leave without her!

Posting on my blog will be sporadic at best for the next month, though I promise to write when I can, and to put up pictures if possible. But if you don't hear from me for a while, you'll just have to trust that I'm busy having a blast and collecting lots of great stories to tell you when I get back. Laters!