Energized

Thanks to Lolly for the idea... I helped 85 kids make huge 3-D snowflakes this month and they're hanging from the light fixtures all over the second grade area. We have been getting tons of compliments on these pretty snowflakes!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your positive comments about Mutant Jemima. I told many of you that I almost didn't post those pictures at all because I still feel "lumpy" (and you were right, this is more about my self-image right now than about the sweater), but I'm glad I did. See, finishing a sweater for myself inspired me to knit more more more (stop the clock, please!!), and seeing the pictures of myself inspired me to start thinking about exercise again. I got lots of exercise when Peanut was 0-3 months old. It was summertime and I live in a pleasantly hilly and pedestrian-friendly area; we hit the sidewalks often with our stroller. And then I started back to work. [crickets chirping] And then winter set in. [double crickets chirping]

Today is a chilly day but the sun is out, so when little Miss wakes up from her nap I think we'll bundle up and go out for a walk. I see that Big Girl Knits is on reserve for me at the library so we might walk up there and get it. I skimmed the section on adding short rows last weekend when I visited Hilltop Yarn and I really want to try this technique out next. Yay for the public library!

On the same day, I went to Weaving Works and bought a couple of skeins of purply Koigu. Many sock patterns call for three skeins of Koigu, so I'm thinking a toe-up sock is best. I've been playing around with the Knitty magic cast-on for toe-up socks technique (genius! you must try this out) but don't know how many stitches I should cast-on to begin with. Any tips? I have never knit toe-up socks before... Also, I'm thinking of using the toe-up Jaywalker pattern since I still haven't made a pair of Jaywalkers, but would love to hear any of your other suggestions for toe-up patterns that would showcase Koigu well.


Peanut says, "Have a great week, everyone! Eat your sweet potatoes, they're good for you!"

Mutant Jemima

Jemima, My Fashionable Life
RYC CashSoft DK, Ballad Blue and Lime
Addi Turbos, US6 and US8
Photos and art direction by various second grade students

It all started with the yarn. I bought the CashSoft on eBay with an entirely different project in mind, but later decided it wasn't for me after all. Soon after, I saw Jemima, a cozy, whimsical top that called for the exact same yarn. Bingo.

Except that I wanted it to be more fitted, longer and have waist shaping. So I used the pattern for my VK Shawl Collar Pullover for the length and shaping of the lower half of the sweater.

Then I decided that I would never find buttons that I liked or that matched the yarn well. Mom was a seamstress when I was young and I learned that buttons can make or break a garment. I talked to her about it and decided that it would be best to ixnay the button placket altogether.

So, you see, this really isn't a Jemima anymore.



This was my first time with the tubular cast-on and I loved it. I learned how to do a tubular bind off from Jody; her tutorial is fantastic.

As soon as I put it on, I loved the feel of the fabric; this yarn at this gauge produces a lovely drapey fabric. So warm and soft! Right now it feels very comfortable, like a luxurious sweatshirt for a cool, casual day. The arm hole fits me really well. I think that's what I'm trying to say... whenever I buy ready-to-wear anything (tops, bathing suits, wedding dress), I have to shorten the straps; they're always too long on me. I ended up with a short armhole for my short torso, yay!



In the end, it's not my favorite sweater, but they can't all be favorites. I think I'll like it even more next fall when I'm done nursing and am all the way back in shape.

Snow Day!

Another snowy day in Seattle. I don't remember having this many "snow days" off from school when I was a kid growing up in Seattle... this is our third of the year. It really couldn't have come at a better time, though. I really needed the rest. I got to sleep in just a little today and I'm still in my pajamas. Feeling much, much better.

Discovered a few weeks ago, thanks to Almost Felted Lauren, I believe, that Knitty Gritty is now being re-run on HGTV. I don't have DIY so I'm enjoying these episodes. It's fun to see familiar bloggers and designers, like Marnie, Jenna, Kristi, Shannon, and Candi. I haven't seen very many projects on the show that I must knit. Hello, fun fur steering wheel cover and matching dice? However, I'm a mostly self-taught knitter -- a friend helped me with casting on and the knit stitch a few years ago and I hit the ground running with my Stitch 'N Bitch in hand -- so watching these shows is fun. In many of the episodes I see how someone does a technique quite fluidly (like picking up and knitting stitches, something that for a long time I did really awkwardly), or shows a different cast-on than I'm used to using. So it's a fun, quicko, 22 minute thing to unwind with after work while I cuddle with the peanut and the Mr. gets dinner started.

Speaking of picking up stitches, I'm seaming up Jemima today and looking forward to wearing this pulli in the wintry weather.

Did you see Sarah's finished Lucky cardi? It looks so cute on her. I didn't finish mine. I started it without really thinking about how the dimensions would work for me... and put it down about halfway through when I realized that I should have made it longer and done a few other minor adjustments. So it's nice to see one that's Mission Accomplished in the true sense of the word, not in the GWBush sense. heh.

Just watched An Inconvenient Truth last night. Holy shizzle. I knew things were getting serious but the film was quite eye opening. Please see it soon if you haven't already. Melissa at Neoknits has been talking about global warming lately and SuperGirl's Blog featured links from Slate last month about steps we can all take to help out our poor planet.

Must get back to seaming, adios!

An End and a Beginning

As 2006 comes to an end, I have a half full/half empty perspective on the year. I mean, how can you possibly feel grumpy about not getting to your knitting (and home organization goals, etc.) when you have this little face to look at each and every day?

Peanut turned six months old on Christmas Day. She started rolling over about two weeks ago, from her back to her tummy. Today she rolled back all by herself! Yay! She's now eating fruits and veg, too! Peas, pears, sweet potatoes, carrots, yeah baby. And she's clapping her hands! Oh, and she giggles -- no, truly cracks up -- when she sees and tries to interact with our Lennon kitty cat. So if I think of this year in relation to her life, it has been amazingly productive. A year ago, you could barely tell I was pregnant, and now we have this brand new human being with a sparkling personality and a killer smile. What more could you ask for?

I have to remind myself of that once in a while when I feel a bit overwhelmed with it all. And when the new knitting magazines come to my mailbox. And when I see all the beautiful things you all are knitting! :)

Jemima is sitting here, ready to be blocked. I did knit the two sleeves for my Excellent jacket during my two weeks off. That's something to be excited about. So 2007 will feature at least those two finished projects! Yay!

Happy New Year, everyone. Try to remind yourselves, once in a while, of what makes your glasses "half full".

Yadda Yadda Yadda

This was taken a few weeks ago. hee hee.




I cast off Jemima last night and hope to get her washed and blocked today. Peanut has a fever this weekend, so we're spending a lot of time cuddled up together relaxing. Poor little butterbean.

Oh! I've seen several inspiring Central Park Hoodies on the internets lately. My most local yarn shop doesn't carry Knitscene. So. Lame. Anybody want to sell their copy to me so I can make one, too?

Everyone Else Is Doing It

I had a dentist appointment on Monday, so I decided to take the day off, take the babe to daycare, and treat myself to my First Ever Day Off Without The Baby. Without Being At Work. It felt so decadent! I adore my little Peanut but it was really good for me to take a breather. I actually did some knitting, yay! I finished reknitting the second sleeve cap for Jemima and started the tubular cast-on ribbing for the front. That's the last piece I have to knit.



Today I broke out my Shawl Collar Pullover and wore it for the first time. My new classroom is C to the HILLY and I'm kicking myself for not having finished more handknit sweaters before becoming a mom. Anyway, I love the way this sweater fits, which is a huge relief because I finished it when I was pregnant and wasn't sure if I'd ever get my bod back to close to its original state. I wore my Rib and Cable socks today, too! I did "show and tell" with my students and told them about my knitting hobby. They were quite impressed (come on, they're eight years old) and thought it was hilarious that I could knit while I read, watch TV, or walk. :) All I know is that I'm quite cozy today and I'm even more excited about someday finishing Jemima, since I'm actually using the shaping from the Shawl Collar Pullover pattern and I just know it's going to fit fabulously.

Oh, and my daughter found her feet last weekend. :) It's the little things that excite me now.

48 things you could care less about...

1. first name? Karma

2. were you named after anyone? No. My parents really were hippies.

3. when did you last cry? Oh, it happens about once a week these days. Being a new mom is truly roller coasterish.

4. do you like your handwriting? Yes, I'm a primary school teacher, so I have pretty neat printing and script.

5. what is your favorite lunchmeat? I've never been much of a meat person but I do love deli sandwiches. Usually go for ham or turkey but I like 'em all.

6. if you were another person would you be friends with you? I believe I would.

7. do you have a journal? Very sporadically.

8. do you still have your tonsils? Yes.

9. would you bungee jump? No.

10. what is your favorite cereal? Any of the Kashis.

11. do you untie your shoes when you take them off? I usually wear clogs, so no.

12. do you think you are strong? I was about to say that I'm emotionally strong but physically weak, until I read Heidi's answer to this question in which she declared that she gave birth without medication this year... YES I am strong!

13. what is your favorite ice cream flavor? That's like asking a mother which is her favorite child. Lately it's Reese's (chocolate ice cream with Reese's chunks) from the local Husky Deli, but I love 'em all.

14. shoe size? 40 or 9.5US

5. red or pink? purple

16. what is the least favorite thing about yourself? Insecurities about my body. It's all mental.

17. who do you miss the most? My kitty, Julian, who died in June.

18. do you want everyone to send this back to you? I think everyone else has already done this one.

19. what color pants, shirt and shoes are you wearing? blue plaid pajama bottoms and blue pj top, no shoes.

20. last thing you ate? Red dragon roll and chicken donburi.

21. what are you listening to right now? Calm Baby CD playing very quietly in Peanut's bedroom as she slumbers.

22. if you were a crayon, what color would you be? I always liked Red Violet.

23. favorite smell? bread baking, my mom's house.

24. who was the last person you talked to on the phone? My brother. I told him we were invited to a cider pressing party today and he said, "So basically you're going to an apple squeezing party." Yeah.

25. the first thing you notice about people you are attracted to? The teeth (worked for a dentist for 9 years before becoming a teacher), the eyes.

26. do you like the person you stole this from? I love you all!

27. favorite drink? Fresh squeezed lemon drop, up, in a martini glass.

28. favorite sport? I like watching basketball.

29. eye color? brown/green

30. hat size? I love the idea of hats but I almost never wear them, so I don't know.

31. do you wear contacts? yes.

32. favorite food? Oh I love food so much... Indian is a big favorite (Saag Paneer, Tikka Masala, etc.) and I could eat good sushi pretty regularly.

33. scary movies or happy endings? Happy endings

35. summer or winter? I love the cheery blue skies of summer but not the heat, I love the coziness of winter but dread the grey Seattle sky for months on end.

36. hugs or kisses? hugs.

37. favorite dessert? warm berry pie or crisp or cobbler with vanilla ice cream

40. what books are you reading? I recently started The Golden Compass; I'm reading Mrs. Piggle Wiggle to my class; I read Pajama Time! to my baby last night. Notice the absence of adult materials here...

41. what's on your mouse pad? the earth

42. what did you watch last night on tv? Project Runway (WTF?)

43. favorite sounds? baby babbles

44. the rolling stones or beatles? Beatles

45. the furthest you've been from home? India

46. what's your special talent? People are always telling me how patient I am. That and I can make milk.

47. where were you born? Seattle, Washington, USA

48. who sent this to you? everyone on my Blogroll!

The End of the Fourth Trimester

My little lovey is three months old now. Mommyhood is amazingly life changing... all those cliches you hear about how your life will change and how wonderful it all is? They're so true. And the first few months can be tough but now she's all smiles and play and babbles and coos... so much love.



A couple of weeks ago, I had to go back to work suddenly, and my happy little stay at home with the baby world came to an end. An abrupt end! Fortunately, the stars are all aligned and it's working well. The only thing is that my life is literally all about pumping, cleaning bottles, doing laundry, getting to bed early and getting up early so I can get the baby to daycare and make it to work on time. Hugs and kisses all afternoon and evening. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

Before I went back to work, Peanut started some routines, including a midday nap that afforded me some knitting time. I finished Jemima's front (yay!) and decided to reknit the caps of the two finished sleeves. So when I finish those, all I'll have left is the back to knit. Maybe I'll be able to share it with you before winter 2007? hee hee.

Cathi just posted that Cotton Ease is making a comeback. That ought to make some people very happy.

Bonne Marie's new pattern really catches my eye... knowing her and the way that she writes patterns, this one will be a hit for new and experienced knitters alike. I'm already eyeballing my stash, though heaven knows I have too many projects in the queue as it is.

I'm full-on addicted to Project Runway... am Netflixing the last few episodes of Season 2 while watching the last few episodes of Season 3. Good times. I adore Michael Knight (isn't that Knight Rider's name? Kit?) and hope that he goes the distance in this race.

Have a fabulous week ahead! I'm off on a stroller walk in the fall sunshine with the girl.

Tidbits

I brought the Shawl Collar Pullover to my mom's house for a visit a few days ago. Guess who it fit perfectly? Grr. Jealous? Me? Hmph. She said she wants "hers" to have longer sleeves, though. Nudge, nudge, wink, wink.

Guess who I'm planning to meet tomorrow for the first time? I'll give you a hint. You might know her by her purly whites. And she dyes really beautiful yarn! We've been chatting for ages about meeting up sometime to knit and we finally made plans for tomorrow, after my yoga class. Can't wait!






I'm still in love with Jemima + Rowan Cashsoft DK + Addi Turbos. I finally found a good solution for Jemima, too. I've been mentally tinkering with how to add length and waist shaping, possibly keeping the lovely tubular cast-on and subsequent ribbing, without having the puckering at the hip problem. Wanna know what I'm doing? I'm using the directions for Shawl Collar Pullover for the bottom half of Jemima! I'm also thinking of ixnaying the placket and buttons. I don't think I'll ever find buttons that will match my colors, and I hate that poorly matched buttons might make the whole sweater look cheesy. So now, is this still Jemima? Maybe her name will change to Jemi-not. Or something equally dorky. 'Cause that's how I roll. har har.

I had to buy a new bra today. In a new (read: bigger) size. And dangit, the lovely associate at Nordstrom wasn't convinced that I'm done growing in bra sizes. She thinks I should come back again a couple of weeks before my due date and get fitted AGAIN. Like expensive supportive bras for girls like me grow on trees. Aiya. Whatareyagonnado.

Have you heard of mail2web.com? Maybe I'm the last girl on earth to find out about it. I thought I'd never be able to access my home email on the web (what a pain when you're traveling, out and about, at work expecting an important message to come to your home email addy, etc.) and the Mr. just found out about this one. Cool.

Jemima was here

I'm still working on Jemima. At least, that's what I tell her as she sits patiently in a big zip-lock freezer bag for the past few weeks or so. The two sleeves are done. I've been working out how to add both length and waist shaping to the bodice. I started out with a tubular cast on (love it) and kind of winged it but now I think I have too steep a slope from hip to waist and I don't want any bulging going on at the hips. So that's why she's sitting in a zip-lock still.

I was thinking about whether or not I really want that ribbing at my hip. And then it hit me this morning on my way to work: why not build an Hourglass Jemima? I can use the bottom half of Hourglass to construct a knitted hem (including a couple of rows of contrast color at the very bottom, just like Jemima has?) and waist shaping, but keep everything else true to the original Jemima pattern. Hmm. Still considering this. I think it's a good idea.

Now I must get my fix watch 24.

Murphy, Lay Off!

Remember when I said I was going to have knitting content soon? Yeah. I'm having one of those Murphy's Law kind of weeks. My car was hit on Tuesday (I wasn't in it)(the guy left a note, thank goodness), so that's one more thing to deal with. Sweet kitty baby Julian is not well. He had bloodwork done on the same day my car was hit (luckily the car is drivable!) and I'm hoping that he will improve. I went to yoga last night and got so relaxed I could have fallen asleep three times! :) But my evenings have been spent with a sad, clingy furball in my lap, so not a whole lot of knitting done.

Notice that Jemima is making steady progress? The sleeves are done. Yay! I cast on the front (tubular, my new best friend) yesterday during a painful budget meeting at work (money + public schools = pain and anguish) and then realized that I forgot something... the sweater as designed is a bit shorter than I wanted and has no waist shaping... it just increases up from the hem to the bustline. I need more of an hourglass shape so I need to figure in some waist decreases from the hip, and then increase to the bust.

So I'll redo that tubular cast-on when I have that all figured out. Should be simple to reconfigure, as long as Murphy's Law doesn't send raining frogs or some other catastrophe to add to this lovely week. :)

One more thing:
Addi Turbos + Rowan Cashsoft = Heaven.

Come On, Drink the Kool Aid

I've got two friends who are, separately, getting excited about knitting.

One is the mommy of the twins I made the raglan baby sweaters for recently. She started knitting while on bedrest and wanted to learn more. I went over this weekend and showed her a few things, namely Addi Turbos and knitting socks on two circs. She's hooked! Yay! She called tonight to let me know that she's in love with the Turbos and can't wait to get more pairs/sizes.

The other is a friend who has never knit before. The pal who taught me how to knit a couple of years ago taught her just this week. She called me last night, saying, "Help! I have a knitting question!!" Yay! She's learning the basics and sounds really interested.

I say to them, "Welcome to my obsession. Let me know how I can help you feed the monster." heh.

As for me....

1. Shawl Collar Pullover pieces are finally dry. We'll see how soon I can get 'er seamed up.

2. Jemima is knitting up rather quickly thanks to the LOVELY Cashsoft and the way that it literally flies on Addi Turbos. I think I have a crush on this combination. I'm almost to the raglan shaping of sleeve #1.

3. Excellent yarn arrived today. Love living so close to Elann. Must remember to exercise restraint, though, else I order something new every stinking week. Must order an Addi Turbo US15/10mm. Holy cow. Haven't used such big needles since I was a beginner who knit too tightly and needed fat needles so my first scarf wouldn't be stiff as a board.

Knitting Ups and Downs

Shawl Collared Pullover is happily blocking away with its own little ray of sunshine (they're hard to come by over here) and yes, it's true that wet alpaca really does smell like wet dog. Mmmm. Yummy. I hope it dries soon; I keep laughing when I think of what this sweater's going to look like on my daily-increasing belly. Fortunately, people have good imaginations and will probably be able to imagine what it will look like on me next fall, right? :)

Our trip to Vancouver was lovely and quite uneventful. Perfect. We stayed right downtown and walked all over the place. Ate good food. Saw two good movies (Firewall was intensely suspenseful; Syriana was complex, political, and kept us talking and thinking well after we left the theater). Touched no yarn. I didn't even knit in the car on the way up or down. It seemed important to be more present, enjoying the scenery and conversation with Mr. Goodkarma. It was a good time!

But you know how I am; as soon as Shawl Collar was off the needles and in the bath I was itching to cast on something new. For a minute I considered going to one of my stalled projects but no, I had to start something new. That's a lesson for me; do NOT leave a project unfinished or it may never ever ever see the light of day again.

Elann had this Schoeller Stahl Excellent yarn for a few days. I kept looking at the sample pattern and thinking about how cute it would have looked on me about 5 months ago when I still had a waist. The available colors were selling out quickly; the one I was eyeballing was a darker combination of blues, but I was only able to pick up this lighter combination instead.

While I wait for my Excellent yarn (can't say it without thinking of Bill and Ted), I dove into my Rowan Cashsoft DK for Jemima. This pattern utilizes a tubular cast-on, and this is the first time I've ever used one. I wish I had tried it before! So clever and neat. Totally tubular. (Valley Girl.) I knit the cuff and an inch or two of sleeve before bedtime and then was suddenly struck with a wave of incompetence. Would it look ridiculous on me? Would the color combo look homemade? Wouldn't this absolutely luscious yarn look better in something more pretty and less everyday? Naturally I stayed up way too late searching for ideas for what other knitbloggers had done with Cashsoft. I don't have a lot of it (7 balls of Ballad Blue, 1 ball of Lime). Of course I saw many, many posts about Grumperina's Odessa, but I really want to wear this yarn on my body, not my head! I hit the pillow feeling defeated. Why do I always have to find a solution immediately anyway? Grrr.

I woke up this morning with an image of a sweet, finished Jemima. My imaginary version is a little more fitted than the original oversized one. Mari made a super cute one herself. I think I'll stick with the plan. If you haven't worked with Cashsoft yet, you're in for a treat!

And in the Husbands Are Funny Department: I got a great deal on last year's model of an expensive stroller. When it arrived the other day, I started taking it out of the box. Now, my husband is great, but he hasn't been super excited about anything baby related yet. As soon as parts started coming out of the box, though, he jumped up off the couch and started assembling the thing before I even had a chance to open the directions. I started reading instructions aloud but I might as well have been on another planet; he was so involved in snapping pieces together that he didn't even hear me. "Oooh, it even has shocks." "Nice wheels!" I'll be checking it out soon to make sure all the pieces were used, etc...

I heart DVR + Knitting

Last night: I'm reknitting the sleeve caps for the shawl collar pullover (adding 2" of length to the sleeves; who was I kidding?)while catching up on a bunch of shows on DVR (best invention EVER). On the edge of my seat with Grey's Anatomy (I thought they were home free with the bomb! Wasn't it sweet when George climbed up and helped Bailey through the delivery of her baby?), laughing hysterically at SNL (was that the funniest opening monologue in a while? The cashew trick? Ew. Holiday candles at Target...)

While knitting, I started thinking more about what project to bring on my little upcoming roadtrip with the hubby. We're going up to Vancouver, BC for a few days. I decided I'll bring Jemima. I bought 7 balls of Rowan (RY) Cashsoft DK in Ballad Blue several months ago with Hopeful in mind, but these days I think Jemima is a bit more for me. So I need one more ball of Cashsoft in a contrasting color. Tonight after work I dropped by Hilltop with no idea which color I would want and Lime popped right out at me. I think we have a winner!

Guess what else I spied with my little eye at Hilltop? The new Debbie Stoller book was delivered today! I'm not a crocheter, or I would have bought it on the spot. But I think I'll end up buying it anyway to have a good crochet reference book around. I flipped through it very very quickly and saw a couple of cute cardis and jackets (a la White Lies); I might be inspired to try crochet after all. We'll see. It's not like I don't have 6 billion unfinished projects and another 6 billion projects awaiting.

So anyway, speaking of Vancouver, does anyone have any recommendations, yarny or otherwise? I should be asking Felicia* this question and I don't know if she has ever read my blog. It's been a few years since my mister and I went up to Vancouver and I'm open to any food/shopping/walking/YARN suggestions any of you might have.

*In Felicia's 2/16 post, she wrote about a yarn crawl to Seattle. One of the restaurants she visited, Nana's Noodle Shop, was the place where Mr. Goodkarma proposed to me in 1999. Poor guy, he had a big plan for us to have a romantic dinner at the fancy Italian place down the block, and when we arrived we found out that it was closed for renovations. I didn't understand why he was so put out by that and I suggested we walk a few doors down to Nana's for dinner. Little did I know that there was an engagement ring in his pocket. He even got down on his knee when he proposed... it was very sweet and wonderful. It was the first proposal ever at Nana's. :)