Merry Christmas, Baby!

After visiting with FOUR sets of parents over two days, I'm wiped out. Note to self: don't get divorced because your future children will have a much easier time during the holidays visiting their parents if they live in the same house. Whew. Yes, both my parents and Mr. Goodkarma's parents are divorced and the moms are remarried. So we do a fair amount of driving around every year at this time. Zzzzzzz.....


These Robeez are easily the best present I got for Christmas and I don't even have a baby yet! Aren't they cute? My mom couldn't help herself and got a little giftie for "the little peanut". Love them!

A close runner up is the gorgeous necklace and earrings that Mr. Goodkarma gave me. What a sweetie. (What a good boy. I showed him the Dabby Reid stuff at Nordstrom and hinted heavily that this sort of jewelry was #1 in my book. So he chose the style and color -- purple -- that he liked best.)

It looks like BIL and FFSIL might make a go of it after all. They have some stuff to work out but he loves her as much as (more than!) we do and doesn't want to throw in the towel just yet. I'm glad. I'm still keeping Corkscrew Kyoto, though. Unfortunately, it's sitting in my mom's living room right now, unfinished. I forgot to take it with me when I left on Christmas Eve... but I'll be over there tomorrow to help her set up the new flatscreen monitor we gave her for Christmas along with the Mac G4 that we passed down. Big improvement over the ancient PC they were chugging along with! :)

In all, it was wonderful to spend the holidays with all of our family members, in-laws, step-siblings, etc. It's a great feeling to know that you're there to spend time with your loved ones, not just to see what's under the tree.

Happy Holidays, everyone!

Merry Christmas, Yo!

Snagged from Not Martha: Pimp My Nutcracker.

My Bad?

So. I'm knitting along on FFSIL's Kyoto Corkscrew and it is becoming increasingly apparent that I'm falling in love with this scarf. The yarn is so rich, it glows, people. Soft. Lux. And at the same time, the following things are happening:

- On Thanksgiving, I realized just how limited FFSIL's domestic abilities are, especially in the kitchen. I like her so much, I overlooked her inability to cook the rice for her three ingredient rice-broccoli-cheese casserole, helped her make it, and vowed to find her a great cookbook for Christmas.

- MIL tells us that FFSIL wants nice white towels for Christmas. Evidently, her domestic abilities also do not reach the laundry room. It seems that FFSIL lets her laundry sit in the washing machine long enough to aquire that lovely mildewy odor, but doesn't quite know why her towels are smelly and disgusting. I start to wonder... if she can't manage to launder her towels, how will she ever take care of this silk-mohair-merino scarf? (shudder)

- BIL tells us he's seriously considering breaking up with FFSIL. Dammit. He's been talking about this with DH for a while. They've been together for a few years, he's growing and changing, she's not, etc. Dammit. I like this girl! She has *Potential*! And, selfishly, if BIL does break up with her, then my own brother's got the only other FSIL around here and I willnot cannot put the extra F in front of FSIL for her. Even typing FSIL about my brother's GF gives me hives. But that's for another post...



I did find her a great cookbook with full color pictures and very good directions. I also bought some really pretty earrings for her. So. I'm falling in love with Kyoto Corkscrew. FFSIL doesn't know it exists. FFSIL won't know how to take care of it. FFSIL may not even be around for me to see enjoying it! Even DH thinks the color I chose is really perfect for me and he keeps petting it when I'm working on it (while we watch season 3 of 24... DH has a crush on Jack Bauer. Okay, I do, too!). I think the choice is obvious. Am I evil?


Yesterday, DH and I went Christmas shopping downtown together. It was awful. I like shopping alright if I'm by myself or with another human being who has that second X chromosome. He was completely overwhelmed and shellshocked by it all. Not so fun. The best part was when we were at Nordstrom and I showed him some jewelry I liked. I told him that any girl would rather get something more personal/pretty from her fella than knitting books (Did I just blaspheme? Let's leave the knitting books to MIL.) I hope he got the hint; at this point in our marriage I know that it doesn't work to be subtle. I have to spell things out! :) After shopping, we had a cocktail (lemonade for me) and then went to see The Chronicles of Narnia. Loved it! Little Lucy stole the show. Very sweet. Well, except for the bloody war and the stone table scenes. I couldn't believe there were families there with little ones -- preschool, even! There was a girl behind me, maybe 9 years old, who had obviously read the book and was excitedly explaining things to her mom, who was shushing her. Cute.


Also, we ran into my ex-boyfriend's parents yesterday. I haven't seen them in years. Fabulous people, too bad their son is a #$^@&. Fill in whichever word you like, I'm sure it will fit. I was with him for nearly 5 years, so I got to be pretty close with his family. My mom saw them not long before I did, and told them I was pregnant. They were very happy for me, we all hugged, they met Mr. Goodkarma for the first time. I was glad that I'd styled my hair and was looking fly (that's a joke, I mean, I was wearing Maternity Pants, for goodness sake. How fly can you look in those things?), cause I know they went home and told everyone about seeing me. Heh heh.

Getting into the spirit

So I started the Corkscrew Scarf for FFSIL again, and knit the wraps unlike the instructions call for. Fortunately, those big holes are no more and the lovely Kyoto wedges meld right into one another. Forgive please, the craptastic winter evening in Seattle (read: zero daylight to be had) photos.

Behold the lovely wedges with their seamless short rows (and never you mind why I'm wearing pink flannel pajamas with little chubby skiing children on them, and yes that is a LUSH bag in the background with pressies for my mama tucked inside):



And, what's this? The beginnings of a corkscrew (didn't I mention that my office is red the future nursery will need to be painted?):



This pattern is really easy to learn. I used the book for the first couple of repeats but now I can go go go without much thinking. That's perfect for me right now. I took Corkscrew to my science-for-teachers class (Circuits & Pathways, oooh electricity is fun!) tonight and got a few repeats done in between experiments. There were at least two other knitters in class (of about 20-25 people), so no knitterly guilt here.

Finally, I have to share this... by way of Jessica... our build your own South Park characters! There's me and my hubby! Remember how he always looks stoned in pictures? Well, it seems to be true with cartoon pictures, too! ha!

Song Meme

Tagged by CJ:

List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they're any good, but they must be songs you're really enjoying now. Post these instructions in your blog along with your seven songs. Then tag seven other people to see what they're listening to.

Direct from my iPod's most played list.

Hands Up - Black Eyed Peas
Ooh Child (Alternate Version) - Beth Orton
Shake Your Rump - Beastie Boys
Do You Want To - Franz Ferdinand
Blind - Talking Heads
I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself - The White Stripes
Mas - Kinky

Tagging:
Lolly
Carole
Scout
Moni
Bonnie
Christie
Kim

Still Here, Still Alive!

First off, thank you so much to everyone who left congratulations and well wishes! You made me blush. It felt good to finally share the news with everyone, that's for sure! As for how things are going... I'm feeling so well this week, it's amazing. I have more energy, less fatigue. I'm still very food oriented, heh heh.

I've been so busy since my last post, and wishing that things would slow down just a little so I would have more progress to share and the time to share it. Here's a quick synopsis; hope to have a more complete post soon.

-- almost finished with sweaters for my dear friend Lisa, whose twins are were due in January (but came early a week ago). Welcome to Jacob and Sarah! (What's with all my friends and their preemies lately? Are they trying to freak me out? Cause, you know, it's all about me. Heh.)


-- had the stomach flu over the weekend and gained a whole new perspective of my bathroom floor. Yes, sleeping curled up on the floor as to be nearest the toilet certainly gives us lots of new perspectives. One of them was the wish to DIE!! Oh man. But luckily, I rebounded well and feel 110% better than I did before.

-- am halfway done writing report cards for my students. Remember the good old days? Reading, writing, math, citizenship, penmanship, etc? Well now it's an 11x17" quadriplicate piece of ridiculousness that takes ages to fill out and is next to impossible for parents to understand. Hooray for progress in education.

-- began knitting the Corkscrew Scarf in Kyoto for Favorite Future Sis in Law. Ripped out. Began again. Ripped out. La Durham says there really isn't a need to knit the short row wraps in this pattern, since the garter stitch and the texture of the yarn will hide the wraps, but HELLO, WRAPS! They look like big yarnovers or extra loose stitches between each "wedge" shape, and I'm going to start again when I'm feeling perky and fresh. :)

-- received this sweet Knitwhits Felted Alpaca Flower Pin kit, called Hana Rose, as part of my birthday gift... from the dear friend who taught me how to knit. Cutie patootie! Looks like something I'll enjoy working on right after Christmas.

Enjoy the tail end of your week and I'll hope to post more soon. Must go button shopping for twin sweaters!!

My Family Is So Classy.Me: "Hey, Bro, Want to Hear Some Good News? You're Going to Be an Uncle!" Bro: "So, What? You Got Knocked Up?"

Yep! I've joined the ranks (sisterhood?) of pregnant knit bloggers. It's quite surreal, even though having a family of my own is something I've wanted since I was a little girl. I'm at the very tail end of the first trimester and holding on to the hope that what everyone says is true: once you hit the second trimester, you regain your energy and feel human again! (oh please oh please oh please!) Wouldn't that be something? To have the energy to knit and blog again? Wow. In the meantime, pass the orange juice and saltines. Cheers!

Giving Thanks

I'm thankful that I have so many loving friends and family members that live near me.

I'm thankful that I have a job that pays me well enough to live in relative comfort and warmth, and that feeds my soul at the same time.

I'm thankful that the children I work with are generous, considerate, and caring; they are wrapping up their annual canned food drive and I've just packed up a sack of food to add to their contributions.

I'm thankful that I have a warm roof over my head, electricity and gas to keep myself fed and warm, and a cozy bed to snuggle up in at night.

I'm thankful that I have a warmhearted, kind, and thoughtful husband with whom I can do that snuggling!



We'll be sharing Thanksgiving with my in-laws this year. Here's what I'm contributing to our dinner: two of my favorite recipes from Bon Appetit. If you need something to bring to a dinner, both of these recipes are fabulous and quite easy. I often double the potato recipe if there's going to be a big crowd.

Cranberry and Dried Cherry Sauce
Scallop Potatoes With Gouda and Fennel

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my American pals! I hope you'll spend your day with those you love.

Score!

Yay! Mail!



Have you ever shopped at the ArtFibers site? It reminds me of a friend of a friend who is an absolute artistic genius and who put her own portfolio together. The portfolio is chock full of Gorgeous art and Unique designs, but could have been stapled a little tighter or the pencil marks erased a little more completely. I'm so not complaining. I loved browsing their stuff. They use Flash, which is so cool, but the site doesn't perform quite as smoothly as it could.

The reason I'm telling you this is that I decided, after all of your input, to make the Corkscrew Scarf from Loop D Loop for my favorite future SIL. I thought it would be perfectly lux in some ArtFibers Kyoto. I decided that simply via word of mouth. I've never seen the stuff, just googled and read other folks' reviews and took their word for it. I hoped there'd be a pretty turquoisy blue, which is FFSIL's favorite color. I picked the blue that most appealed to me... wasn't really turquoisy looking, but I thought I'd chance it anyway.

Look at what I got:



I couldn't have dreamed up a more perfect combination of fibers (silk/mohair/wool), gauge, color, texture for this scarf. It's So Rich. It's even better than I hoped it would be. It's the perfect shade of turquoise, too. Sadly, photography (indoors in the evening in Seattle) does not do this yarn justice. Thank you so much, ArtFibers!

See, just like the genius artistic friend of a friend, the product is even more than I could have imagined, website/portfolio wonky or not. And maybe it was just my Mac that didn't like to interface? Who knows. I'm thrilled and will go back for sure! I can't work with this fabulous yarn without coveting *something* out of it for myself!

Bring on the Diamonds

Your Birthdate: November 14

You work well with others. That is, you're good at getting them to do work for you. Maybe that's why I became an elementary school teacher....? It's true that you get by on your charm. But so what? You make people happy! You're dynamic, clever, and funny. And people like to have you around. But you're so restless, they better not expect you to stay around for long. Your strength: Your superstar charisma Your weakness: Commitment means nothing to you Huh? This about the girl who could never bring herself to break up with awful boyfriends and always wants to make things work out? Thank goodness I met my husband; he's stuck with me forEVER!! Your power color: Fuchsia Your power symbol: Diamond Your power month: May It's true, I'm always attracted to those dang Tauruses Taurii Bulls.

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

ISO: Perfect Scarfy Gift

So my future SIL (in all of our dreams, BIL will finally decide to settle down with wonderful, amazing, best thing that ever happened to him, girlfriend) alluded to the fact that she'd love a knitted scarf for Christmas.

She's a mid-late twenties, indie/emo type of girl, who bartends and goes out a lot. Favorite color is turquoise. I'm thinking, she needs either something "cool" or something "bulky/soft", but definitely not something twee. Any ideas?

I like Diana's Steam pattern and I think it would be great in some soft Alpaca or wooly goodness.

However, I am *very* open to suggestions... help?

Karma's Not Even Close to Shrunken Cardi

When I reported that I'd be ripping back a bit on my Not So Shrunken Cardi, Wendy suggested that I take this time to try it on. She's so wise. It was way too big. Especially in the armholes. And then if you add a button band at the end, it would be way too big all around. I'm so glad I tried it on at this point...

I have a huge debate with myself regarding size every time I start a new project. I have a smallish torso (compared to my bust measurement), so choosing the wrong size often means that either the garment totally swims on me or that it pulls across the boobage. Luckily, when I start the Not So Shrunken at a smaller size, I can still make decreases for the waist and sleeves. Wendy made the pattern really easy to customize. If only I'd made the right size to begin with! Ha!

No worries, I'm on a road trip to Portland, Oregon this weekend with my girlfriends for our annual cocktails-massage-shopping fest. I'm not the driver, so I'll get lots of knitting time in!

Creative Knitting Magazine

I signed up for a subscription to Creative Knitting Magazine, since they offered a free issue-no obligation deal. It arrived a few days ago and I decided to decline the subscription after all. Click on the picture to see the projects in this latest (November 2005) issue. I'm offering my copy to the first one who's interested!

Life Keeps Happening at an Amazing Speed

Well, life is moving right along. One minute, it's summertime and you're too sweaty to knit wool, next thing you know it's almost Halloween. Woah, Nelly! I've been knitting along on Not-So-Shrunken Cardi, and finally got to the point where I separated for the sleeves. Knit, knit, knit. Oops. Do you see where I cast-on extra stitches at the armpits and left some strange lonely strand that doesn't stretch as much as the stitches do? D'oh. I'll be ripping back and re-casting those stitches. At the same time, I'm loving the fabric this yarn is making and, even though the yarn can be splitty if you don't watch what you're doing, I'm really enjoying this project so far.

NEWS FLASH
We must interrupt this program to bring a late breaking news announcement.
The knitting content of this program will resume momentarily.

This weekend we broke ground for our new garage. See Exhibit A: our back yard for the past 53 years. Yes, my house is purple. Notice the enormous, ancient, non-producing apple tree that causes Mr. Goodkarma to curse and sweat when he prunes it every year? Those branches grow vertically for a good 20 feet. Higher. Than. They. Already. Are.

Exhibit B: the tree was felled, causing Mr. Goodkarma to secretly whoop it up and inwardly shout Hallelujah!... I say inwardly because Mrs. Goodkarma was really fond of the shade and privacy that tree gave to our deck. Also, it made a really good anchor point for my hammock. Oh well... the tree made way for a garage and a big ass tractor was brought in to pull out the trunk and to dig up our land to make the foundation for the garage.

Exhibit C: I got to be one of the guys! I should say MEN. I've been the only woman at my house all week, greatly outnumbered by men: father-in-law and his two brothers are running the show, Mr. Goodkarma and his brother and a friend are helping out, my dad and brother were here last weekend to take down the old apple tree and old shed. So I got to learn things like "running the packer", as shown in this photo. It's shaped like a lawn mower, but much much much heavier and louder, and packs down the soil so we can pour concrete later. It's like a huge, industrial strength vibrator. As you can see, I'm #1. Snort.

I also got to dig dirt, hammer, etc. etc. and be the surveyor! I loved this part of the job. You look through the lens -- like a binocular -- and can focus on your buddy's tape measure many many feet away and tell exactly how high something is. Oh yeah, and I learned how to talk like a GUY. When something measures perfectly, for example, you shout, "Holy balls!" I got really good at that one.

Finally, we ended our day by building forms for the concrete. Do you see the big pile o' dirt in the center? I dubbed it Mount Garagemore. See my FIL holding up the tape measure? That's what I was aiming the "binocular" at. Next we wait for an inspector to come and, hopefully, exclaim "Holy balls!", which would mean that everything's perfect and we're ready to pour cement. Next weekend.

We now return to our knitting program, already in progress...

So I finally tried to knit a sock on two circs today... I love it! I've only knit baby socks and booties so far, with dpns or flat, and this is so much better, more fluid, etc. I'm knitting the Conwy socks from Knitting on the Road, along with the KOTR KAL, which has the cutest button on earth. Take a look at my sidebar if you haven't seen it.

This picture of my new sock is totally craptastic: evening indoor light and all. Really, it's a very lovely colorway of Lorna's Laces called Georgetown with pretty blues, greens and purples all melding together. Love it! Now if life could just slow down for a week or two (or ten) so I could get some knitting done...

Bring It On: Raspberry Jacke

This post is dedicated to Suzanne, who dared to post the following comment to my blog:

You're running...in the rain???? Wow. You're hardcore!

Ahem...ummmm you speak much of this Raspberry Jacke! but the proof is in the pictures. So get to snappin' and scanning.

First of all, being called "hardcore" for running literally made Diet Dr. Pepper spray out of my nose. I've never been called "hardcore" for anything, especially anything physical. If I told my brother about this comment, he'd laugh his head off, roll his eyes, and tell you stories about how much yardwork/wood stacking he had to do in his youth while his bookworm sister had her head glued to some sort of novel or other. (I'd deny that it was as bad as that, but yeah.)

But to practically DARE me to present proof of a Raspberry Jacke?

All I can say is BRING IT ON!

Presenting: Raspberry Jacke
Pattern: The ubiquitous Rebecca Magazine 27, Pattern 25 (Aprikot Jacke)
Yarn: Rowan All Seasons Cotton. Color: Kiss
Needles: Addi Turbos, #8


Silvia said I could call myself a Rebecca Rebel as soon as I bossed this poorly edited pattern around! Oh yeah!

I found that the ASC looked much better at 18 stitches per 10cm than the prescribed 16 st. per 10cm. It was much too floppy on bigger needles. So I knit the larger size at the smaller gauge in order to achieve the smaller size. And yes, I did do the math and it turned out perfectly to spec. Yay math!

Husband and I thought that it looks better on my boobalicious self to wear Raspberry open. That skinny German model can prance around the park with her sweater closed all she wants. Heh. Boy, this All Seasons Cotton is just as soft and sproingy to wear as it is to knit!

I love the buttons I finally found at Button Shoppe. The pattern calls for tiny mother of pearl buttons, but with this deeper color, I thought that darker buttons went better. These are the yin to the mother of pearl yang.

One more action shot as I leave you for the night... Please forgive the whack bathroom shots. Now you know all of my beauty secrets (who can spot the Origins and LUSH products mixed in with the Aleve and who knows what?). Seattle is very grey and gloomy this week. I'll be wearing this outfit tomorrow to the theater for a play and a knit-in in the lobby. I found this camisole at the GAP outlet at the end of summer -- it matches perfectly!

Take that, Suzanne!! :)

99.5% Done

I just weaved (wove?) in six kajillion ends for my Raspberry Jacket while watching Veronica Guerin. Okay, not six kajillion, but definitely a lot of ends for such a simple sweater. Just have to stitch those little buttons on. Hoping to wear it on Thursday when I'm going to a play (The Grapes of Wrath) at the Intiman Theater, with a knit-night beforehand in the lobby. Good times!

Got more done on the Not-So-Shrunken Cardi this weekend, too, including passenger knitting on the way to a family event, part of which was taking the FIL to see The 40 Year Old Virgin. We laughed so dang hard from beginning to hilarious end...

I saw this on Iris' blog... google your name + needs...

Karma needs...

*Karma needs surgery to repair his ailing heart.
*Karma needs to be pluged in to USB port and show as active on Rio Music Manager.
*Sometimes Karma needs a little nudge.
*Karma needs to be smaller than 500 for the trigger to move on.
*To become a Trusted Community Member, your Karma needs to be 1/5 higher than your age.
*Karma needs allow_url_fopen to work, am I out of luck now?
*Karma needs the agitation of the mind to stick.
*Karma needs to be left out because the soul does not touch it.
*What you do need to do, however, is to be aware that the Karma needs to be redirected.
*Karma needs to be solved, problems dissolved in love, wars turned into friendships, hate into flowing love then peace of mind occurs, hence neither spiritual tranquilizer such as kechari mudra needed nor problems in achieving inner peace needed for clear conscious communication with God.

Yup.

No, You Won't.

I saw this meme going around and decided to look mine up just for fun.

Here are the "rules"
1. Go into your archive.
2. Find your 23rd post (or closest to).
3. Find the fifth sentence (or closest to).
4. Post the text of the sentence in your blog along with these instructions.
5. Tag five people to do the same.


"I wonder if I'll be done with Mariah in time?" (to start the Lucky Clover Along on March 1, 2005).

HA! Good one.

Anybody want it? You're it!

Preemie Advice?

Introducing Lindsay Ella, born this week, seven weeks early. She weighed 2 pounds, 11 ounces, was 15 inches long, and is breathing and eating well. So far, she isn't having any of the complications preemies often have (fingers crossed). Her mama is a friend I've known for a long, long time, and she is the bebe I knit the Dainty Bonnet and Booties for.

I can't believe how small! If you can tell from the picture, Lindsay just looks teeny in her mama's arms. And her mama is a very petite lady as it is! Lindsay lives in California, so I haven't met her yet. I'm wondering if any of you have had preemies or know those who have, and have any advice on preemie knitting patterns or what a preemie might need in general; I'd like to send a care package down to her.

In other news, I'm chugging along on my Silky Wool Not-So-Shrunken Cardi; I was excited when I finished my first skein and got to spit splice the next one on. This puppy will have nearly no ends to weave in. I wish all fibers allowed that technique; the last couple of things I've been knitting didn't have wool content. I predict I'll be able to separate the yoke for the sleeves this weekend! Yay!

Overwhelmed

Wow.

I wasn't expecting so many positive and kind comments on Mariah! You all really know how to make a girl feel good and validate her sweater. ha! Seriously, it's been so fun to read each of your comments as they come in. I've worn Mariah a couple of times in the past week and love that it's warm and cozy without being big and bulky. A winning combination, in my book.

Some of you also left comments on my glasses. My other pair, a gorgeous and hip tortoiseshell frame with lavender on the inside, are so cute and are by La Font. Oui, tres Fronch (Better Off Dead). I never thought I'd find a pair that I liked as much. Mr. Goodkarma helped to pick these out; they're by prodesign and are that browny coppery titanium color with purple arms. They seem to fit my face even better than my other hip pair. Yay!

I'm not only overwhelmed by the kindness of your comments, I'm feeling pretty overwhelmed with work. I've taught 1st or 2nd grade for the past 6 years, and when the opportunity came up to work with the 4th grade team, I thought, you know, I'm ready for a professional challenge. I love my teammates, but learning all the curriculum has been like that nightmare when you take a bite of something and it never gets smaller, no matter how long you chew. Sometimes, it even gets bigger.

Enter Marilyn's Not-So-Shrunken Cardigan. Here she is, resting on my planbook. This is my first top-down sweater and I'm really enjoying it. See, I needed something to knit on these weeknights when I'm pretty wiped but want to wind-down and not have to think too much. So far, the yoke on this baby is just what the doctor ordered. Jody and I have been corresponding about the yarn (I'm using Silky Wool and she's using Silky Tweed for a different project) and how unusual it is to work with. Slubby and soft, yet it does split if you're not being careful. It's different from any fiber I've used so far.

To top it all off, do you see that cat in the corner of the photo? Lennon needed surgery on Saturday, out of the blue. I won't go into too many details, but this is the first time I've ever had to learn about anal glands. Poor guy had to be put out for the surgery, so he also had his teeth cleaned, and ended up having a tooth extracted. So he's been sore on both ends, taking antibiotics and pain meds. Fortunately, the pain meds were liquid in little syringes that I just squirted down his throat... naturally the antibiotics need to be taken for a longer number of days and are PILLS. That's just mean.

So yeah, overwhelmed, but not out for the count. Still keeping my head above water. (Making a wave when you can.) Good times!

Happiness Is a Warm Girl

Presenting Mariah!

According to my notes, I started this sweater back in February. I remember casting on when I was doing jury duty. In between then and now, I started other projects, made baby gifties, etc. I had the whole sweater finished, seamed, and one half of the zipper installed in the spring. Then I got sick of wool and feeling sweaty when I handled Mariah, so I foolishly set her down on my dresser for MONTHS. Last night I finally decided that it was time to install the last half of the zipper and wear M-m-m-m-my-my-my-woo!-My Mariah!

This is one of the first things I've made for myself that fits and actually looks good. I think that's part of why I take forever to finish things and would rather start new ones... that fear of failure or fear that whatever it is that I'm making is not going to fit. Thank goodness this worked well. I haven't even blocked it yet and it looks great, except for the rolly-inny hood. I'll give it a good steaming before I wear it out.

Mariah, from Knitty.com
designed by the goddess herself, Jodi Green
Elann's Peruvian Highland Wool, Chocolate Truffle
Addi Turbo #6 needles
zipper courtesy of my new best friends at Zipper Stop

What do I like? What did I change? What would I do differently next time?
I like the fit. I'm always looking for something with waist shaping, because you might not be able to see it in this picture, but I am a pretty medium sized girl who has an hourglass shape. I have a waist and I have a big bust. So I need waist shaping or else things look pretty frumpy on me. This sweater doesn't have shaping, but I made a close-fitting size and the deep ribbing helped to bring things in at the waist.

I finished the fronts with Attached I-cord edging, learned from Nancie Wiseman's The Knitter's Book of Finishing Techniques, instead of the garter-stitch-turned-under edges prescribed by the pattern. I thought it looked much more, well, finished! This was inspired by Streets and YOs' Ribby Cardi, by the way. I did all the cabling without a cable needle, which was a fun technique to learn.

If I were to make this sweater again, I would definitely find a way to make the neckline smaller/higher. I'm more experienced now, so I have some ideas on how I would do this differently next time; I can see that I could have simply continued knitting the entire yoke (including cable motif on the sleeves and decreases for the raglan) several more rows. But I'm happy enough with it. In the pictures, I'm wearing a very high-necked tshirt, so it shows more than other tshirts will. Finally, the Peruvian Wool was easy to work with and all (gotta love that spit-splice!), but it's pretty fuzzy and I wonder how long it will take for it to pill like crazy. We'll see.

Now I feel a bit more brave and courageous... will start finishing more of my nearly-done projects!


P.S. Remind me why I asked my husband to be the photographer? Mr. One Track Mind!! :)

Button, Button, Who's Got the Button?

Not a lot of luck to be had this weekend, looking for buttons at the JoAnn Superstore. I know they have more button choices than the Hancock Fabrics near me, but I still didn't find what I had in mind. I ended up compromising and buying buttons that will probably be okay, but aren't exactly exciting me.

Then I read about Button Shoppe at the Knitty board today. Within minutes, I'd found just what I had in mind and then some. If it's anything like Zipper Stop, I'll be a happy camper.

Pastimes is in the Past.

I was going to spend as much of today in my jammies as possible. I was watching NYPD Blue and knitting when the postwoman dropped off my mail at around 2pm. When I saw the postcard announcing that Pastimes in Kent is not only closing, but having a big going-out-of-business sale starting TODAY, I knew that I couldn't wear jammies any longer.

I haven't shopped at Pastimes much -- there are so many other yarn shops that are closer to me -- but I always thought it was a beautiful space. There are wall to wall windows that let in loads of natural light and the yarn and pattern books are all beautifully displayed in dark wood armoirs. Sadly, Pastimes' business has severely dropped over the past several months and they're closing shop.

I was able to get 10 skeins of Rowan All Seasons cotton in a periwinkle color called Ravish, and 10 skeins of Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool in Graphite. The latter is hoping to become Marilyn's Not-So-Shrunken Cardigan from Knit and Tonic.

I was glad to find Erika Knight's Simple Knits for Cherished Babies and Zoe Mellor's 50 Baby Booties to Knit; they've both been on my wish list. I also picked up a few incidentals: a CHIBI, some stitch markers, and a stitch holder. The basket was just meant to be a shopping basket, but since we spent over an hour together in line waiting to check out, we developed a fondness for one another and the basket was mine for $10. I'm a sucker for slightly irregular, rustic baskets.

Miss Popularity Contest

A very dear friend of mine is absolutely bonkers over those damn Blythe dolls. She's been collecting and photographing them for a few years now, and one of her photos has been selected for publication in an official Blythe postcard book, very exciting for her!

Naturally, there's a popularity contest, and the winning photo gets to be on the cover of the book. Friend's photo is #40. If you're interested in voting, click on the banner and place your vote! Voting goes from Sept. 16 - Sept. 27 and the winner is announced on Oct. 3.

Accountability

Well, there you have it. I told all of you about my plan to start running after having done it only once. Then a bunch of you said, way to go! and hey, thanks for motivating me to do it, too! and yeah, let's all go running!

So now I have to continue.

Last night, it happened to be raining cats and dogs when I wanted to go running, so I struck a deal with myself: I would stay home and knit if, and only if, I promised to go the next day, no matter what. So I stayed in and finished seaming Raspberry Jacke! I even crocheted the front opening, complete with buttonholes. Now I just need to go out and find some suitable buttons, weave in 1,487 ends, and wear a minimizer bra when I wear the thing. Yep, it might be a tad small. I'll see what it looks like with a better bra and a light steaming.

Now I have to go run!

Oh, one more thing, and I promise I'm not procrastinating. Okay, well, maybe a little. I saw this cool new site called Postcrossing -- like Bookcrossing, only with postcards -- at Lolly's site and signed up today. I'm sending my first postcard to an interesting woman in Dusseldorf! Das finde ich ausgezeichnet!!

Okay, now I have to go run!

Blowin' Off Some Steam

Cara's talking about starting her running program again.

The middle school a block away from my house is newly remodeled and has a brand new track.

I have back-to-school-stress.

What else is there to do but go to Target [tar-zjay] Boutique and hook myself up with a new watch with a timer so I can start training?

I feel much better. :)

After running, I got a few inches done on my Vogue short-sleeved top. At this rate, I'll be done just in time for winter! hee hee! :)

Are You There, Karma? It's Me, Blog.

Dear Karma,

Since school started, I've noticed your attention has -- temporarily, I'm sure! -- shifted away from yarn and your blog and toward crayons and spiral notebooks. Just thought I'd check in and see how you're doing. I wonder what it's like to teach 4th grade instead of 1st or 2nd. I'll bet the kids are just the same, only taller.

I noticed, too, that you've been spending more time in front of the TV than usual, upset by images of New Orleans, and I would be jealous of that ugly box but I know you have fond memories of jumbalaya and beignets and jazz music in the Quarter, so I've quietly been sitting here waiting for you. The politics have been overwhelming, the humanity and lack of dignity for the survivors heartwrenching, and you're always looking for ways to help. Don't forget that blogs can be a good source of news and information, too. In fact, you might be interested in this slide show of NOLA before, during, and after Katrina and the Waves Flood hit the Crescent City.

At least you've been knitting quite a lot while watching all that horrible news. It's always comforting to feel the rhythm of the needles click-clacking in your hands when emotions run high or low. Your Aprikot Raspberry Jacke is so close to being complete, and your Vogue short sleeved top looks like it's coming along well -- aren't you almost done with the back piece? Maybe you'll let me post some pictures soon.

I noticed you went to an award winning play called Intimate Apparel with your friend Nichole. Sounds like fun; you went out to dinner at a new restaurant called Crow, there was a stitch 'n bitch beforehand where you met lots of other knitters, and you gave the play a great review. The stitch 'n bitch was organized by that new yarn shop downtown called So Much Yarn you've been meaning to go to; now that you've met the owner, Lauren, and seen how friendly she and her employees and friends are, I'll bet you'll go check it out!

While you've been away, you've had some interesting visitors. Naturally, I took messages. One of them came by looking for "obsessed with my boobs;" thought you might get a chuckle out of that one.

Keep knitting and don't forget about me.
Yours,
Blog

Misti Alpaca Sport

Cross posting what I posted at the Union Square Market Pullover Knit-a-Long, for anyone who might be interested...



Hey KAL friends,

Just a quick post to share my yarn news. I just swatched for my USMP with Misti Alpaca Sport and found that I got a pretty close gauge on Addi Turbo size 3 needles. So happy!

I'll be using the lovely grape color for the main color, and pistachio green for the contrast. Sadly, Misti doesn't make the pistachio in sport weight, so I'll be carrying three strands of lace weight together instead. The color combination is really fun, though, and there isn't so much contrasting color, so I think it will work out just fine.

I got my yarn at Little Knits, which is good for two reasons. 1) They are making a serious effort to make a large contribution to Hurricane Katrina victims and 2) they're offering free shipping for Misti orders of $50 or more. Go check it out...

I won't be starting my pulli for a little while, though, as I finish up other projects, but am excited about the progress everyone else has shared!

Last Post of the Summer

Tomorrow is my first official day back to work. Forget all the hours I've already spent cleaning out the last guy's crap from my new classroom and all the hours I accumulated throughout the summer taking classes to prepare me for a new grade. Like Food Chemistry. That was a fun one! I'm a bit sad that the summer is ending, but I'm also excited to meet my new students.

I fully intended to have a finished project to share by now, and it's coming soon, very very soon. While I'm finishing it, I'm also swatching for a couple of new projects and getting very excited about them. Union Square Market Pullover from IK, Short Sleeved Wrap Top from Summer VK, and Hopeful by Jenna Adorno are all on my list for next projects. I love starting something new!

I've been contemplating switching away from Blogger and trying something new. Pretty Posies? Typepad? Any feedback from any of you? I like that Blogger is so stinking easy to use, but I also like that other options have, well, other options. So if you love your blog and its hosting, etc., please leave me a comment.

Inquiring minds want to know.

P.S. Check out the galleries at My Cat Hates You. Snort!

My Husband Will Not Be Surprised

By way of ChicKnits...

Sweetness

Dear Erika Knight,

Are you insane? Or are you a genius?

The first "Dainty Baby Bootee" I made, of the pair, propelled me to use not so dainty language. Cut yarn here, pick up stitches there. Create a free-form sculpture that somewhat resembles an octopus. WTF??



But the second one went along much, much more smoothly. I started seeing the logic behind the insanity, and the final result made me think that perhaps you knew what you were talking about after all.



Fortunately, the "Lacy Bonnet", which I made before the "loony bootees", made complete sense from stitch one and was a joy to knit. The rosette shape at the crown is absolutely gorgeous. The lacy pattern that makes up the rest of the bonnet has a wonderful repetitive flow; I started wondering if the lace were something like Orangina's. The only problem was the ribbon. The example in the book has one attach a head-sized ribbon rosette on each side, which is very beautiful to photograph, but very unrealistic for most of the babies I know. Also, it was tough to find a ribbon color that I liked with this dusty pink yarn, so I went with the antique white to pick up the pearly buttons (stitched on so firmly that no baby will ever be able to pull off) on the bootees.



Thank you for your designs, Ms. Knight. I'm sorry I thought you were crazy.

Sincerely,
Karma

P.S. The gifties were a big hit at the baby shower today. Everyone thought I was a genius.

P.P.S. Lacy Bonnet and Dainty Bootees,
Knitting For Two by Erika Knight
Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino, pink, 1 skein for all
#4 bamboo straights (that's another agonizing story in itself, what the heck am I doing with bamboo straights anymore for goodness sake, pass the addis!!!)

Ask Me, I Know

In the last few days, new people found this blog by searching for:

1. How to pack a suitcase

2. How to have good karma

3. How do I know if I have good karma or not?

I think the "how to pack a suitcase" one is pretty funny. Mr. Goodkarma is packing for a business trip as I type and he's clueless. So maybe I *am* the right person to google about suitcase packing.

Does anyone recognize this? It's my lovely Aprikot Jacke from Rebecca, and it's blocking right now! It's about time I finished something, eh? Well, don't speak too soon; it's not finished until I can wear it. It looks quite red in these pictures, but it's more of a raspberry color called "Kiss". From now on, I call this sweater Raspberry Jacke.

And while I'm waiting for that lovely Rowan All Seasons Cotton to dry, I'm whipping up a little something for a baby shower I'm going to on Saturday. You can bet your bottom dollar that I'll have a finished picture of this very soon. Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino, baby. So pretty!