What day is it again?

It's been nearly a month since I blogged! I keep feeling guilty every time I do my daily blog-snoop and see who's posted when I haven't, but my head started spinning just about when I got back from Thanksgiving break, and it's still going. I'm thinking almost exclusively in lists these days - numbered steps in protocols in the lab, shopping lists, daily to-do lists, to-pack lists. So now, a list of some of the random things that are whirling out of my head, as a place-holder for when I can post something more knitting-relevant.

* I'm knitting like a madwoman, any chance I get. I have one long side of my Print O' the Wave for Grandma to knit the edging onto - 24 repeats in 4 days, plus blocking. ACK! And then there's the Pomatomus socks for Aunt Becky - one and a half socks still left to knit, with some worries about running out of yarn. Double ACK! I've broken my aversion to knitting on the subway - I actually do need every free five minutes for a round or two. I was self-conscious about people staring before, but it's actually not that bad. Yes, I'm knitting a sock, and I need to knit another before Monday. Wanna help?

* I can't wait until these are both done so I can get back to normal knitting. I started a scarf for Tim after seeing a great, simple one in Banana Republic awhile back. Simple Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino, simple mistake-rib pattern. I cast on, knit about 6", and loved it, but I had to drop it. There are also still socks to finish for Sock Wars, and I haven't even thought about all of the things that I want to knit for me. I haven't knitted for me in at least a month.

* I love Christmas more than usual this year. I have carols stuck in my head all the time, and I don't even mind. I had a great time gift-shopping (online), and I can't wait to hop on a train to go visiting. I have half a million errands to run, things to pack, and ends to tie up before Friday morning, but it'll all be worth it to collapse on the train with Tim, knit a bunch, watch some movies, and (maybe) sleep.

* Mom and I had a good laugh the other night - great minds (or at least closely-related female minds) still think alike. She called to tell me that some packages I had shipped to their house had arrived. I told her what was in one of them - a 7" Hollow Ground Santoku knife for Tim. And she let out the most dismayed "Oh..." I've ever heard. Turns out she got him the same thing - a Santoku knife and also a good chef's knife. Awfully generous of her, but that's beside the point. We decided to just give him the chef's knife and decide which of the Santokus he likes best.

* I found a great new blog - Don to Earth, written by a Donald Crowdis who, at 93, is our oldest blogger. His posts are incredibly erudite and thoughtful, and it makes me wish that more of the elderly were aware of the blogging phenomenon. As my grandparents get older, I wish more and more that their good old stories and musings were really well recorded.

* It's lunchtime. I'm finally to a long-incubation step in my cochlea processing protocol, and it's time to chow. Manic holiday prep has come nearly full-circle - I'm back to basic instincts. Food, sleep, knit.

There'll probably be a really photo-heavy post before New Year's. Until then, happy holiday!

Hallelujah!

I just finished what could be the most beautiful thing I've ever knit!





Pattern: Seraphim , from MimKnits
Yarn: Socks that Rock mediumweight in Jasper, about 2.5 380yd skeins
Needles: Addi Turbo size 5 circular
Started: October 9, 2006
Completed: November 19, 2006

It's done and blocked, and it's beautiful. It's light and slightly sheer, but very warm, so soft, and large enough for a nice, generous wrap around the shoulders. The color change from blending in a different STR dye lot looks much subtler now than it did on the needles, and I almost like it better with that shading than I might have if the whole thing were the same shades-of-mulberry color. I can't wait to see Mom's face at Christmas when she sees it.

This Christmas knitting thing (and knitting for others in general) is turning out a million times better than I expected. I've previously been a fairly selfish knitter, believing that knowing that I'd have to give it up would sour the knitting process. But I actually think that I love this shawl all the more because I'm giving it as a gift and I think that Mom will love it. It's one of her favorite and most flattering colors, and I can just see her wrapping up in it in cold hockey rinks or watching movies on cold evenings with my dad.

Have I finally discovered the secret of happiness for knitters who do more knitting for others than for themselves? I almost always knit for myself because it's so satisfying to make something that I know that I will love, but it looks like there's just as much pleasure in making something that will really suit someone else. Hopefully my other two Christmas knits will come out just as well.

Good smells are starting to come from the kitchen. Mom has discovered the wisdom of Mr. Alton Brown, who has gotten her more excited about cooking Thanksgiving dinner than she has been in years. I think she has a bit of a crush (not that I can blame her - you've gotta love a comedian who can cook), and I can't wait to taste the results. Until then, I'm off to lend a hand with the green beans, apples, and possibly the cranberries. Good eats and happy day to everyone!

Well I'll be darned

What American accent do you have? Your Result: Philadelphia Your accent is as Philadelphian as a cheesesteak! If you're not from Philadelphia, then you're from someplace near there like south Jersey, Baltimore, or Wilmington. if you've ever journeyed to some far off place where people don't know that Philly has an accent, someone may have thought you talked a little weird even though they didn't have a clue what accent it was they heard.
The Midland
The Northeast
The South
Boston
The Inland North
The West
North Central
What American accent do you have? Take More Quizzes

Contrary to what I always thought, there is a Philadelphia accent! I can count on one hand the number of times someone has told me I have any sort of unidentifiable inflection or accent, and I know I don't have any of the distinctive speech quirks that come with say, the deep south, Boston, or Minnesota. I can't really pin down anything that makes a Philly accent. The best guess I can make is a tendency towards "aw" rather than "ah" sounds in words like caught, dawn, on, etc. I knew a guy from central PA named Scott whom everyone teased for introducing himself as Scawt, but I never knew that was a PA thing in general. Whodathunkit.

Plodding along on Seraphim (nearly done the third chart), with minor progress on Print O' the Wave and random socks, but nothing exciting enough to photograph (especially since daylight photography hours come so dearly on weekdays). My goal is to have Seraphim done, if not blocked, by the time I leave to go down to PA next Wednesday. POtW and probably a few pairs of socks will keep me company on the train. I absolutely cannot wait - I desperately need a vacation!

The Seamless Hoodie!

Pattern: My own
Yarn: Henry's Attic Prime Alpaca, color Mist Gray, 2 665yard hanks plus a bit of a third
Needles: Addi Turbo size 3 40" circulars
Started:August 22nd
Completed:October 30th

I'm so happy with this project! For one thing, I still can't quite believe that I managed to go from a vague idea to a sweater that I really love. I planned the whole thing, always with the tiny doubt in the back of my head that it would actually turn out as I pictured it. I also can't believe that I actually finished a sweater in time to wear it. My finished objects always seem to be so out-of-season (for example, finishing Arisaig in the middle of summer). I wore it yesterday, with no self-consciousness. I've never finished a sweater before that I've been happy to wear in public because I love it. It's always been because, gosh darn it, it took a lot of work and I'm going to wear it even if I'm not honestly crazy about how it looks.

Christmas knitting is coming right along. I'm waiting for a package from Blue Moon (any day now!) with another skein of STR for Mom's Seraphim shawl and some Beryl for toes, heels, and cuffs on the socks I'm making for my aunt. In the meantime, I started on the Print O' the Wave stole for my grandmother, in STR Star Sapphire.


As with most lace patterns, it took awhile for my brain to really link the chart to the knitted lace, but by now it's making more intuitive sense and I don't need to go back every other stitch to figure out what to do next. The yarn is mostly on the purple side of periwinkle, but it's making fairly regular stripes of a slightly more blue color that looks really pretty with the lace. I hope Grandma likes it!

The weather is getting steadily cooler, and I love it. I love the leaves, the chill, and wearing my scarves, sweaters, puffer vests, gloves, and boots. I wish it could be fall all year. The cats are super-cuddly; ever night I wake up to find that at least one of them has tucked him/herself in under the blankets with us. Snicklefritz likes to be surreptitious about it, and she always seems ashamed when I wake up in the middle of the night to find her snuggled in. But sweet, snuggly Bagheera never wastes time being coy.

Most nights he beats me into my side of the bed and I have to nudge him over to get in. No matter - he warms up the sheets for me, so I can't really complain.

Anticipation (as usual)

My knitting attention span is terrible! No matter how great the excitement at the beginning of a new project, I can almost guarantee that it'll be second or third (or worse) on the priority list as soon as something new comes along.

I say this because the shawl that I was working on in exchange for my beautiful Slytherin scarf is winging its way back to its owner. Therefore, as I see it, a slot has opened up for a new WIP. And as I've discovered on multiple blogs lately, the preview for the new Winter IK is up, and I can pick two or three projects that I would drop everything for. These I could actually make as shown - same yarn, color etc.

Also cute are
I'm lucky this won't be in stores until mid-November! Hopefully I can finish a few Christmas knits, a few second socks, and maybe even start a sweater for Tim before this new set of distractions comes out.

I'm so excited for this weekend; Tim and I are driving down to Providence to meet up with my parents and my brother. The Lehigh U hockey team, captained by my little brother, is playing at the University of RI, and my parents are using it as an excuse for a weekend getaway. They're treating Tim and I to join them, which is really nice of them. I've been busy enough with work lately that the idea of getting out of the city and doing something unusual sounds killer. Plus, road trips mean good knitting time. By hook or by crook, I will finish my hoodie and have it blocked by the end of the weekend. Photos Monday (I hope)!

Marooned

I've been stuck on sleeve island for weeks and weeks now, and hope is fading. Mirages of a fuzzy, perfectly blocked and perfectly fitting hoodie keep hovering just out of reach. Luckily the yarn supply is solid, and it's just a matter of time until I can escape. I had one weekend-long spurt after I discovered a method for top-down sleeve caps. I left it untouched for weeks, not feeling motivated enough to start sleeve #2. Even now that I have only about half a sleeve to go, I'm still cranky about it. If I just put my mind to it, I'd have a sweater by the end of the week, ready to wear right as the weather is really starting to chill.

On another maroon note, the Seraphim shawl for Mom has really come along quickly. It's always nice when knitting with a gorgeous yarn keeps you from minding endless 300+-stitch rows of plain stockinette.

I'm about halfway through the second lace chart, but I'm having serious fears of running out of yarn. I e-mailed Blue Moon Fiber Arts in the hopes that they'll have another skein from the same dyelot. Just in case, though, I'm stopping until I find out. If they have to send me a different dyelot, I want to have enough of my current skein left to blend with the new one so that the change doesn't show too starkly.


Shauna has finished and sent back my Slytherin scarf, and I completely adore it. The length is exactly what I hoped it would be, and the double thickness is so luxuriously warm. I love it so much that now I want to make one for Tim, although I'll have to acquire some serious self-discipline if I'm going to start another large stockinette scarf and finish it in a decent time period. Shauna, thank you so much! My end of the deal is coming closer and closer to completion. Even though I don't get to keep this lovely mass of black alpaca shawl, I'm really looking forward to seeing how it looks when it's done and blocked!

It's such a beautiful fall day here. The blue sky, the sun, and the yellowing leaves in Davis Square look so pretty together, and the air has really got a nip to it. Time to debut lots of recent knits - Arisaig, Knucks, my hoodie (if I can manage to finish it), and my brand new scarf. Snicklefritz and Bagheera are having a grand old time in the cold. They're doing a remarkable job keeping warm, whether they're tearing around the apartment after each other...

...or snuggling.

Smart cats.

Bliss!

Oh, how I love Socks that Rock! I saved a little money, placed a fairly large order (for me), and counted the hours until it arrived. When the package tracking on Friday said it had been delivered, it slowed my day to a crawl. I absolutely couldn't wait to come back and dig in. The single skein of the green/blue is the County Clare colorway, to make socks for my aunt. I think I may try to stretch one skein into a pair of custom-fit knee socks. While I love the idea of making her knee socks, I'm skeptical about whether I ordered enough yarn. If I knit them toe-up, I'll be a little more comfortable. I think I may order a skein of some coordinating green color for toes, heels, and cuffs, both for interest value and to make the County Clare stretch a little further. Even with enough yarn though, I'm not completely confident of being able to get such a customized fit correct for someone else. I don't want to ruin the surprise by asking her to send me all her leg and foot measurements. Luckily, my aunt is just about my size (I think). Still, it crossed my mind that this lovely sea-green blend would make a fantastic pair of Pomatomus socks if I were to decide to play it safe.

The Star Sapphire color is destined to become Eunny's Print O' The Wave stole, for Grandma. Her favorite color is purple (for her amethyst birthstone), and I think she'll love this. I can really see the pattern looking amazing in this color, and the heavier-than-lace weight yarn should make something with some warmth. I think lace shawls and stoles are gorgeous, but I've always appreciated them more if they're thermally functional! I'm hoping it's something she'll actually use.

Finally, the Jasper color is for a shawl for Mom. I picked Seraphim, again because there's really something to it. It's large, and it's actually mostly stockinette, with a great lace edging. I can see Mom wrapping up in it while watching movies with Dad, at night when they turn the heat way down, at the ice rink for my brother's hockey games, or out and about if she gets dressed up a little. I first saw it at January One (the one there is so pretty!), and it was love at first sight. It's such a perfect combination of attractive and functional.



And the yarn is absolutely perfect for it. The mulberry color is ideal for Mom, and I love how the ever-so-slight color variations look. Plus it has a nice, tight twist so the fabric is smooth. I'm surprised at how well the mediumweight works with the recommended gauge. 5 stitches/inch on size 5's is actually no trouble. Normally I'm such a tight knitter that I have to use much heavier yarn than recommended to get the correct gauge. It's a good thing I decided against the heavyweight at the last minute; the shawl would have been way too bulky. The fabric I'm getting is light, and it'll be lovely to wrap up in.

I wish we had more long weekends. I got so much done in the last three days! I spent a few hours on the shawl I'm finishing, and I just have one more side of the square left to edge. One more week and it should be done. Second, I finally got out of my funk and started the second sleeve on my gray hoodie. I can't wait to have it done; it's so cute! And third, I got a really good start on Mom's shawl. I'm addicted to this thing - the sheen and the semi-solid color are just amazing. I think I'll be knitting a lot out of STR in the near future!