Schnicklefritz

New Home

2011-09-07T22:58:00.000-04:00

Since leaving New York, many of my pals have expressed interest in seeing where I live now and what it's like here. I've been carrying my camera around with me for the past few months, trying to capture the feel of the area, but it's hard. Really hard.

My favorite house in the neighborhood

A cute Minneapolis 4-plex

My neighborhood is pretty interesting, a mix of white hippies (young and old), black middle and working class, recent Mexican immigrants and lesbians of all stripes.

There are a lot of art cars around.

A little heavy handed, maybe?

Luck be a lady tonight!

Thelma and Louise?

And several community gardens. People are seriously into gardening here, maybe because summer is such a short and treasured season.

It's been fun to see the flowers growing here, and I've been surprised at how different they are from the ones I was used to seeing in Brooklyn.

Hibiscus! The first I'd ever seen.

My neighborhood is called Powderhorn, named for Powderhorn Park, which is just across the street. I love the park, and it makes me miss Prospect Park just a little bit less. Powderhorn Park is about 60 acres and has a lake, jogging paths, several baseball diamonds, five playgrounds and 10 tennis courts. What?! Awesomeness.

Oh yeah, and a kids pool. More awesomeness.

The park is really well utilized by people in the neighborhood. Soccer games and BBQs have been popular activities this summer, and there's a rec center where they have pottery classes and you folks can check out canoes. Oh, and some hippies hold an outdoor church-like service in the park every Sunday. I can see them from from my living room window and hear their tambourine and guitar music. Yep.

Can you spot the Great Blue Heron?

I'm excited to see how people's use of the park changes in the winter. In the early part of the last century, it was several times the site of the US Olympic speedskating trials! Neat, right? And there are some great hills, so I'm thinking sledding will be popular. Personally, I'm hoping their might be some cross-country skiing.

Lovely as it is, the lake in Powderhorn is a small one. There are a lot of lakes in Minneapolis, and one of the ones I visit the most is Lake Calhoun. It's just over three miles in circumference and is ringed by running and bike paths.

Oh! Sad surfer.

It's not apparent from these photos, but Lake Calhous is usually swarmed with people in the warm weather, sailing and kayaking and canoeing and swimming. It's so healthy and inspiring

When you live in Minnesota, there are somethings you couldn't avoid if you wanted to. One of those things is the legacy of Laura Ingalls Wilder. There are traces of her everywhere.

Another is the Scandinavian influence (although if you know me, you know how much I LOVE all things Scandinavian).

One thing that I haven't been able to get used to is the super creepy ice cream "trucks" here.

I mean, really? Have you ever seen something more clearly reminiscent of a 1970s pedophile's "party van"? Who in their right mind would buy ice cream from a tinted-window conversion van? Not this sister.

So that's a little about things here, the stuff I see most every day. Next time I'll tell you about some of the things I've been doing here out (mid)west.

Motherboy XXX

2011-08-29T12:02:00.000-04:00

Getting ready for the Balboa Country Club's annual Motherboy competition is quite an undertaking, to be sure, and like many such competitions, a good outfit is a critical foundation.

Details:

Pattern: Lilla Koftan, by Petra Orrbeck

Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton Ease

Needles: 4.5mm/US7

Start: August 2

Finish: August 8

An excellent choice by the Bluths, to be sure. The sweater works well on both boys and girls, and the color is almost universally flattering. Worked in a washable cotton/poly blend, this will be a breeze to keep clean and lovely.

And now, a look at our favorite Motherboy contestants, Lucille and Byron "Buster" Bluth.

Lucille is the one clinging to the bottle of vodka; Buster is the 30 year old clinging to his mother's pouch. They make a lovely, lovely pair, dontcha think?

Nothing ventured, nothing gained

2011-08-28T12:17:00.000-04:00

Since moving to Minnesota, I've consciously adopted an aggressive "Just say yes" attitude. It hasn't been difficult, as one of the motivations behind my move was the desire to experience and live life differently. So, since moving, I've gone to parties alone, met strangers for ice cream, canoed 16 miles down Minnehaha Creek, relearned how to drive a stick shift, biked to a Peter, Bjorn & John concert before hitting an art opening before hitting a bar with pals one night. All of that has been fun, but by far the best and most thrilling thing I've done was to agree to fill in for an injured runner on a Ragnar Relay team.

A sweltering stretch on a Wisconsin highway.

Ragnar relays are held in 11 or 12 places around the country and they generally work like this: teams of 12 take turns running legs of the race that are between four and eight miles long. The total distance run is about 200 hundred miles. Each runner runs three legs and you always run in the same order (e.g. runner 1, then 2, then 3, until runner 12 finishes her leg, then runner 1 goes again). The teams usually shuttle themselves in two vans of six runners per van. When you're not running, you're cheering on your teammate. When everyone in your van has finished their leg, you eat or rest while your teammates in the other van run, and when they finish their legs, you start to running, in order, again. It sounds chaotic, but it's really quite orderly and well organized.

Looking for my incoming teammate.

When James, a friend from college, contacted me to see if I'd be interested in filling in, and consequently running about 15 miles over 20 hours, my first reaction was to say that I was busy that weekend and so couldn't do it; my fitness level is pretty low right now and I hadn't run more than 3 miles at a stretch in several months. But the more I thought about it, the more this seemed like an amazing opportunity to see an old friend, meet new people and challenge myself in a completely unexpected way. So I said yes, and it's probably the best decision I've made since deciding to move to Minneapolis.

Teammate in site; bouncing with excitement before my first leg.

Because I was by far the weakest runner on the team, I was quite nervous about my performance and abilities, but my teammates were incredibly warm and encouraging and supportive. There's nothing like slogging your way down blistering highway in 96 degree heat without a lick of shade and then rounding a corner to see your pals waving and cheering for you and hearing the call of the vuvuzela (yes, we had one of those) pulling you forward. Periodic improvised showers didn't hurt, either.

While the running was fun,

we were all happy to be done with our legs when we finished them.

The oppressive heat was a common post-run topic of conversation.

We ran through some beautiful (and hilly) parts of Wisconsin and Minnesota

Sunset on Lake Pepin

and met some enthusiastic fans and volunteers.

Best cheering: Stockholm, WI.

The race started at 11 Friday morning, and by 10 pm Van 1 (my van), was gearing up to run our second legs of the race, which we finished around 2:00 am. We napped briefly in the town of Stillwater while Van 2 ran through the grim hours of the morning, and by 7:15 am we up and running again. I finished my third and final leg around 9 am and our team as a whole finished around 3:30 Saturday afternoon.

Van 1 at the completion of our portion of the relay

In addition to having an awesome weekend with spirited, dynamic, fun and interesting people, running in the Ragnar Relay reminded me that I can do more than I sometimes think, that it's possible to acknowledge one's limitations while simultaneously pushing oneself, that there's seldom anything to be gained in saying no, that life is wonderful if you are open to living it and that there's no better feeling than pride in a job well done.

Thank you Ragnar and Team Kittens and Yarn! Here's hoping for another adventure in 2012!

Sewing the seeds of love

2011-07-30T13:03:00.000-04:00

This blog's been quiet recently; my life's been anything but.

Most significantly, I quit my job and moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota. This plan had been in the works for a long time and I was so psyched for it to finally roll into action. I expected the transition from New York City, my home of 16 years, to the City of Lakes to be a little traumatic, but it was shockingly easy. One friend said that's a sign that I was really ready for this change, and he may be right.

I've been having an *awesome* summer. Being sans employment has meant that I've had plenty of time to hang out with friends, scour Craigslist for furniture and make emergency Ikea runs. It's been great, but I'll get into all that another time. One thing that's been mysteriously absent is my knitting mojo. No lie, until one week ago, I hadn't knit a single stitch since relocating. My craft bug has found another outlet.

Now that I live in a less expensive city, I can afford a bigger apartment, one with a spare/craft room. This is amazing! It means that, like my grandma, I actually have a place where I can keep my sewing machine up and accessible. I see it. I touch it. It occurs to me to use it, and I do.

Although I've been sewing since I was a little girl, when I'd sit next to my mom and make purses on my SewPerfect sewing machine, my skills are not much improved since then. I am terrible at sewing long straight lines, which means quilting isn't a natural match for me, but it's still fun. I've learned that the modern quilts (think Amy Butler and Denyse Schmidt) are much more forgiving that more traditional quilts, like an Irish Wedding quilt, which involve lots of corners that must match up.

I started my first quilt about three years ago, and lost motivation until landing in Minnesota, where my pal Stephanie, 8 months pregnant and in full nesting mode, had been quilting up a storm. I was so inspired that I not only finished my long-languishing quilt but immediately thereafter jumped into another project, seen in these photos.

Sarah is a lovely friend and one of the original members of The Fort Greene/Clinton Hill Knit & Crochet Group. We also went to the same small college, although not at the same time, and that little quirk goes a long way to explaining why, though we're quite different in many ways, we got along from the get go. Anyway, she's about to have her second child, and I knew that I wanted to make something for the baby, but I'd just assumed I would knit, or possibly crochet, a gift. That is, until getting bitten by the quilting bug.

Sarah really likes green (as do I), so I tried to incorporate a lot of it into the pattern. A mostly white quilt might not be the most practical for a baby, but it's so fresh and bright. I backed it with a darker fabric to increase versatility, which I hope it does. Now I am positively jonesing for a mostly white quilt for myself.

I keep planing more sewing projects because I'm still not super excited about knitting these days. What I've realized is that for me, knitting was a fairly social activity, even when I did it by myself, because I would get together with my knitting pals, see new projects and yarn, get inspired and excited. I don't have that right now, and I'm not sure that I want to. For the time being, I'm content to miss them and the craft that we shared, and to continue to spread my wings in new directions.

The Sweet Relief of Baby Knitting

2011-05-16T12:34:00.000-04:00

I'm moving soon, half-way across the country, and all of the planning and upheaval has me a bit upended. To wit: I've been knitting very little. Or, very little relatively speaking. I'm spazzy and unfocused and philosophical and OBSESSED with Lifetime Movie Network moviews, so the knitting has slowed down. I have finished several projects, but haven't been able to get them photographed, with the exception of this one:

The project itself says a lot about where my head's been at. It's a baby sweater (tiny), finished in 1 1/2 days so very little attention needed. It's one color, one skein, largely garter stitch and almost seamless. It was also made for friends in my soon to be new home of Minneapolis. There's a lot of metadata embedded in this one, wee project.

Details:

Pattern: Leaf Pattern Set, by Jeannine LaRoche

Yarn: Berroco Remix

Needles: 3.5 & 3.75mm

Start: April 23

Finish: April 24

I really, really enjoyed working up this pattern. It's a top down construction, so I started with the leaf pattern at teh neck, which required some, but not intense, focus, and then cruised down, almost mindlessly, through the rest of the sweater. Although I ordered this yarn special for this project from Webs, I can't take credit for the color selection. Oiyi made this sweater several years ago in pretty much the same color, and I thought it looked so fresh and sweet without an ounce of presciousness. Berroco Remix is a great yarn, made of recycled silk, cotton and wool, the combination of which results in machine washable yarn that has a tweedy texture with none of the itch of tweed; perfect for a summer baby sweater. I'll be using it again, fo sho.

Soon after I finished the sweater Target launched it's Calypso collaboration line, for which I went nuts. In addition to the silk tunics, linen jumpsuit and dresses I bought for myself, I picked up a this adorable dress, which is going to the same little girl coming this July.

I love them together. Now, get her a pair of Saltwater sandals and she's set!

Yes, but do you have any yarn?

2011-04-18T21:44:00.001-04:00

Yes, but do you have any yarn?, a photo by she_bakes_cakes on Flickr.

This might be my new Minneapolis hang. The Yarn Garage (yeah, it's a converted garage), brought to you by Steven Be. Stephanie and wandered about slack jawed until settling on gorgeous, but different yarns. stay tuned for project updates.

Juicy

2011-03-31T13:13:00.000-04:00

Literally! Today I started a three day juice cleanse, and I'm alternating between acceptance and freak-out. The freak-outs are a result of my fear of failure. I'm not concerned that I'll wake up one day surrounded by a half-eaten cheese pizza, but that I'll cave and have a salad. I've ever been a great one for self control, so the thought of not chewing solely because I've decided not to chew scares me.

So this is what I'll be having for the next three days:

I'm doing the Blue Print Cleanse three day Renovation Cleanse, which is great for a newbie juicer like me. The renovation is their entry level cleanse, which I think means it had heartier juices/more calories than the other cleanses. It's only a little past one on day one, but I'm liking the juices (conveniently labeled in 1-6, the order in which they are to be consumed) so far. Right now I'm sipping on a pineapple, apple, mint concoction and it's delicious.

In other, less literal juicy news, I recently finished another hat.

Details:

Pattern: Rikke, by Sarah Young

Yarn: Madeline Tosh DK

Needles: 3.5mm, 4.5mm

Start: March 24

Finish: March 26

I love this pattern, so so much. It's so simple in it's appearance, design and construction, that it's genius. All garter stitch and a subtle change in texture brought about by a simple change in needle size. This is actually the second Rikke hat I've made; the first was for me and I wear it all the time. It's black and I haven't managed to take a decent picture of it, so no blogging, but this pretty green (Jade is the colorway) shows the stitch detail and texture nicely.

I selected this yarn as part of a thank you gift I received for knitting something for a friend. The way that it's dyed, the yarn seems almost to glow from the inside, all space-agey and stuff. It's the first Madeline Tosh (side note: is she related to Peter Tosh, by chance? Because that would be cool) that I've ever worked with and now I get what all the fuss is about. It's incredibly buoyant and springy, making it a great pairing with patters in which stitch definition is a plus. I was at Purl last week and had to stop myself from pulling one of her glowing tans off the shelf and shoving it into my basket, such was my enthusiasm for this yarn. But I kept myself to the one skein of Spud & Chloe Sweater that I needed to finish another work in progress.

Last Friday I went to what turned out to be a lame party with some close friends (we enjoyed each other's company, anyway, almost as much as the Nilla Wafer banana pudding dessert that was on offer), and as we were leaving, I pulled this hat out of my bag and started working on it as we walked to the train. I asked Him if he thought he might have use for the hat, when She jumped in and said she liked it, too. Fortunatly, they're married, so Megan & David, this hat's for you!

Finally, a third, slightly more salacious and definitely funkier kind of juicy. I leave you with the 1983 R&B hit "Juicy Fruit" by Mtume. Sexy lyrics, yes, but it's still Sunday morning cleaning the house music to me.

What you can, when you can

2011-03-23T23:21:00.001-04:00

I've come to loathe my morning commute. It is mercifully short (20 minutes door to door), but people can be shockingly rude in the a.m. My complaints are of the mundane variety, so I'll not bore you with them; suffice it to say that nothing makes me happier than walking or riding my bike to work. I get to be not on the train and in the fresh air.

Yesterday's weather report called for a high of 50 degrees, so I decided to take advantage of the spring atmosphere and hoof it in to the office. I kind of planned my outfit poorly, so that I was both cold and sweating as I walked, but the sun was out and my iPod was on shuffle working its magic, so I didn't mind. Too much.

Today we've been experiencing what the weather forecasters call a "wintry mix." It's been raining and snowing off and on all day. I've not been too disturbed as I work indoors and have plenty of handknits with which to bundle up. The weather has, however, made me glad that I took the opportunity yesterday to spend some time in the air and sun while I had the chance.

On the topic of seizing opportunities and making the most of right now (ham fisted segue), about 10 years ago a not great movie starring one of my biggest Hollywood crushes was released. He is Keanu Reeves, and the movie is Sweet November. I'd never intended to see the movie, and in fact, I once decided that a guy was "not right for me" because he suggested we see it on our second date (which subsequently never occurred), Yet see it I did, last fall when I was dogsitting for some friends. As I said, it's not a great movie, but I'll forgive a lot when I find an actor charming.

ANYWAY, Charlize Theron stars opposite Keanu as a woman with a poorly kept secret (SPOILER: it's lymphoma) who takes men under her wing, one at a time for one month at a time, and teaches them how to be present and embrace life. Hokey, yes, but she wore some great scarves in that movie.

Had I seen the movie when it was released, I wouldn't have known what to do about these scarves I liked so much, but now I am a knitter and a crocheter and I knew what to do: Ravelry! Turns out patterns for both knit and crochet versions of the scarf are available (for free). I opted to make the crochet version, for maximum authenticity, and I'm really glad that I did.

Details:

Pattern: Sweet November Scarf/Shawl by April Draven

Yarn: Wollmeise Sockenwolle Twin

Hook: H/5.0mm

Started: January 22

Finished: February 19

Love the pattern, love the yarn. I bought the Wollmeise from The Loopy Ewe on total impulse and in a panic, because the stuff sells out within 5 minutes of being posted. I love how acidy bright it is, with incredible depth of color. The hype surrounding Wollmeise is not for naught. The colorways are gorgeous and it's easy to work with. It's so tightly plied that it's almost like working with cotton, so maybe it's funky to knit with like cotton, but to crochet was a breeze.

I wanted to make this big and drapey so that it could easily wrap around one's neck more than once, so I ended up using about 1 1/2 skeins of yarn. Still, it's light enough for damp and chilly spring and fall days, and possibly even summer nights if you live in a temperate climate.

So, Sweet November, might not be an award winning movie (although it was immeasurably better than that crap fest Forrest Gump) there are some nuggets of wisdom in there (like do what you can when you can (SPOILER: because you mighty not have a tomorrow), and it inspired this dope scarf, so yay for that.

Maybe next time I'll share my thoughts about The Lake House (SPOILER: I love it!)

See! Even they're dubious.

Calmate!

2011-03-13T20:17:00.000-04:00

I have a secret that's not so secret if you know me well. I can stress out about anything. Before leaving for Mexico, I had a quiet freak out about packing. Too much? Too little? More tops? Fewer skirts? How many swim suits (for the record, I packed and wore 4). When I freak like this, it's quiet and internal, my mind races, I move quickly and bump into things. I am, quite literally, spazzing.

I never spazz in Mexico. I think it's impossible for me to freak out there. Being in Mexico always feels so comfortable and familiar. It's not that I've spent an extraordinary amount of time there, but there's a vibe about Mexico that agrees with me, and heading there for vacation is like dream time.

On the flight down we were upgraded to Business class.
I am, therefore, enjoying a V&T.

The impetus for this trip was a friend's birthday. Seven of us flew down, for the sand, sun and food.

We were responsible sun worshipers, all of us heavily armored with SPF and some of worshiping from the shade.

I started with SPF 15 and quickly upgraded to 30 (body) and 55 (face). The sun was intense.I brought a crochet project with me, thinking I'd have all this downtime at the beach, I'd surely get bored. Oh, no. I didn't crochet a single row. Instead I read Jackie Collins trash (Poor Little Bitch Girl, which I highly recommend)

and stared at the sea.

Was it all fun? Pretty much.

But there was some expanding of cultural horizons. I learned a lot, more than I can recount here so let's just say the Mayan's were pretty incredible.

And there were some physical activities. Snorkeling, anyone?

I've been back for over a week now, and, true to form, have started stressing. About unimportant weird things, like projects I want to finish, blog entries not written, photos not taken. It's not totally out of left field; I've got a lot to do before I move at the end of May, so my mind's started buzzing. When this happens, I can get compulsive about my knitting and crocheting, so I'm trying to be conscious of this and calm myself. "Calmate . . .," is what a Spanish speaking friend would tell me, "calmate." So instead of racing to the finish, I'm working, calmly on this.

It will be done when it's done, and until then, it will just be fun.

Playa

2011-02-23T16:49:00.001-05:00

By the time you read this, I will be in Mexico doing something a lot like this:

I love a beach vacation in winter. Adios y hasta pronto, amigos mios!

A hat for Sarah

2011-02-22T20:00:00.000-05:00

When I drew Sarah's name in the my knitting group's gift exchange this year, I was pretty excited because she's someone whose taste I think I know pretty well. I thought making a gift for her would be easy. Pride cometh before a fall . . .

A couple of years ago, Sarah turrned me on to a method for extending the utility of my fingerless mitts well into winter: layering them over cheap, knit gloves. She loved it, I loved it. But as a member of the Cult of the iPhone, her layered approach to hand wear has been causing her problems vis a vis phone use. After hearing her comment that she thought she needed a pair of proper mittens, I started scouring Ravelry for mitten patterns. I eventually decided to crochet a pair, using some Sanguine Gryphon Eidos fingering weight yarn that I bought at Rhinebeck last fall. Crocheting a fabric sufficiently dense so as to be suitable for mittens was slow work, but fun.

When I finished the first mitten, it was snug on me, but my hands are extraordinarily large, so I thought it would be a good fit for Sarah. With almost two weeks to go until the gift exchange, I felt very comfortable that I'd finish well ahead of our deadline. At our next get-together, Sarah announces that she's just made herself a pair of mittens, and in doing so, has realized that she really just doesn't like mittens.

Well, shit.

Because I've known Sarah for about three years, I was able to shift gears without too much angst. She likes hats, specifically slouchy ones. Even better, she has a tendency to lose them, so could always benefit from having a spare or two. I settled on a pattern I'd made twice before because I thought it would suit her style and set to work.

Pattern: Wurm, by Katushika

Yarn: Noro Taiyo & Jade Sapphire Mongolian Cashmere 6-ply

Needles: US7 & 8/4.5mm & 5.0mm

Started: January 30

Finished: February 4

I love this yarn so much. I picked up the skein and as soon as I saw it in the store and carried it around with me like a greedy little hoarder until I decided to buy it. The colors are so lovely and I thought the variegation would lend themselves to the welted hat. The silk content reduced the stretch off the yarn, which resulted in welting that is less pronounced that in the other Wurms I've made. This bothered me at first, but I think that was more a matter of result versus expectations. After I sat with the hat for a bit, I decided I was happy with this variation.

This pattern has you work an extra long brim and then fold it in half, picking up stitched from the cast on edge and then continuing to knit up the hat. I decided it would be nice to work the inner part of the brim using some super soft cashmere. Mmmm soft.

Sarah's head is about my size, so I knew that if it fit me, it would fit her.

Bingo! It's even a tad big, but I think it's OK. Anyway, it's cute and cozy and Sarah likes it. When I was running on Saturday morning I ran in to her heading off to run errands and lo! She was wearing the hat. Color me happy.

Portlandia

2011-02-21T17:43:00.000-05:00

My hometown's all over the news these days. There's the IFC TV show, Portlandia (if you don't have cable, you can catch some clips on youtube; it's hilarious), a new NBC sitcom that's set there, called Perfect Couples (which has become a guilty pleasure; check it out on cable on demand) and then last week, NPR aired a story the gist of which was this: Portland's unemployment rate is usually 1% higher than the national average and salaries are 20% lower than in Seattle, but (young) people keep moving there anyway because it's so awesome. And there are biracial guys who work at food carts and play in metal bands. Again: it's awesome.

I was home for a week earlier this month for a sad occasion, so I was kind of off and blue much of the time, but I did find it warming to be back in Portland again. The city has changed a lot since I moved away in 1989 (!!), but some things have remained comfortingly the same, like Oaks Park, the amusement park and roller rink where I used to skate to Van Halen, Billy Squire, AC/DC and Ratt. The park itself was rather rinky dink, as evidenced by the photo, but the skating was always good.

One afternoon in need of a diversion I drove my rented Toyota Yaris over to Burnisde Street in search of a shop owner who is a friend of a friend, just to say hi. While looking for the FoaF, something in a window of a store called Haunt caught my eye:

Hand knits! Like I said, I had some time to kill, so I went in and poked my nose around a bit. The woman working was talking to a friend/customer and since the boutique is small, I couldn't help but overhear their conversation. The customer was asking about a book that the shop owner had written, if she was going to do another, yadda yadda, and it clicked! The shop owner was Laura Irwin, the author of Boutique Knits. After the customer left, I overcame my aversion to intruding on one's privacy and asked her if she was, in fact, Laura Irwin. She was quite surprised and so friendly. She said something to the effect that not many people know of her book, to which I replied "EVERYONE, I know who knits knows it," then admitted that this is probably a small percentage of the general population, however. Then we chatted about crafting and the smallness of the knitting world.

I maxed out on dorkiness when I asked if I could take a picture of her (since I'd missed out on my chance when I saw Ysolda Teague walking across the Brooklyn Bridge a few summers ago). She graciously agreed.

Cute, right? The dress Laura's wearing is in keeping with the vibe of the store: modern, feminine with a touch of industrialism. Because I was focusing on knits, I didn't take pics of the pretty tops, earrings, capelets and shrugs they carry. Wouldn't have done them justice, anyway, as I'm not a stylist. But Haunt stocks really lovely items and if you're in the Portland area, I highly recommend stopping in, and if you're not, Laura and her partners also maintain an Etsy shop called Haunt Studio. Convenient, no?

Another thing that made me happy when I was in Portland was getting the chance to see this dollface:

One of the early members of the Fort Greene/Clinton Hill Knit and Crochet Group, she moved back west a little over two years ago. She's thriving out there, which is wonderful. Making and selling a lot of art (on Etsy at her store Little Canoe), being outdoorsey, living the good life, which in Portland, includes eating good food. In addition to my favorite pie place, Random Order Coffeehouse & Bakery, she turned me on to this spot here:

The Potato Champion is one of Portland's many, many amazing food carts. This one is located in a "pod" (cluster of food carts) across from the Burgerville on 12th and Hawthorne. I had a hard time deciding between the Belgian style fries, poutine, chili cheese fries and PB&J fries, but I opted for the exotic sounding poutine. It's a crazy delicious concoction of French Canadian origin that combines french fries, cheese curds and gravy. Yummy peasant food - right up my alley. The poutine was hard to believe delicious, and as I sat in one of the pod's picnic tables enjoying my snack, I felt really happy and lucky, and also a little nostalgic for my childhood in hippie, progressive, green, coffee-drinking, beer brewing, laid-back Portland.

Wrap it up!

2011-02-15T08:00:00.001-05:00

I'm not one to get super hepped up about New Year's resolutions. They often represent what we wish we were or could do in an ideal world rather than what we should do, or what's good or right for us. And failure to achieve them (which starts to set in right about this time every year) is depressing. But, I do love making lists and plans and setting goals and cleaning things out and wrapping things up, whether it's my closet, my wallet, the kitchen sink or, OR my UFO pile.

I'd had a few projects hanging about the apartment for several months now and they'd been getting me down. Looking at them was making me feel like a greedy, impulsive flake who lacked follow-through, so I decided that before I started a bunch of shiny new projects, I needed to finish a few things, set them free and give them the life they deserve. My Random Order socks were the first and easiest to finish up, and they gave me the momentum I needed to tackle this bad boy.

Details:

Pattern: Log Cabin Square, by Sarah Bradberry

Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash

Needles: US 7/4.5mm

Started: February 22, 2010

Finish: February 11, 2011

Around Christmas of 2009, my friend Adrienne had asked if she and her boyfriend could commission a blanket from me. They'd seen some neat ones while travelling in France earlier in the year, but really liked the idea of having something made by a friend. Producing a commissioned work is not something I'm completely prepared to do, yet. My skills need improvement, and I am prone to see a mistake and say "I can live with that." Not quite the right attitude for work for hire.

At the same time, I was really excited about the idea of making something for the two of them, and so I suggested that if they bought the yarn, I would be happy to do the work. She was down with this idea, and so began our collaboration.

We started by exchanging emails with lots of photos of knit and crocheted blankets and afghans. I'd skulk around flickr, mostly, for ideas. I have to admit that I was kind of hoping she'd pick a crocheted pattern, because it would be faster work, but was also quite willing to make a knit blanket, so when she picked a log cabin pattern, I wasn't disappointed.

The next step was selecting yarn. I knew she would want wool rather than acrylic, so I decided we had to go superwash (they have a toddler and practicality is key); also Adrienne hates the chemical effects of dry cleaning. I promoted Cascase 220 Superwash pretty heavily, because it's the superwash I've used the most, is widely available and affordable. Adrienne and Clayton both have very specific design aesthetics, so I left the color selection up to them. She then sent me an architect-style rendering of the blanket, which was invaluable to me in working on this. Some people are too loosey goosey with descriptions, and I'm a word person, so that can make me crazy. Adrienne's an architect and is quite adept at creating visual representations of ideas.

Once I knew the colors to buy, I ordered the yarn from a couple of different online stores to maximize volume discounts and free shipping. I think the total was something around $119 or so. And then, last February, I started knitting. I'd forewarned Adrienne that this may take me the better part of a year, and darned if it didn't do just that.

Despite swatching and wet blocking a square in advance, when I wet blocked the actual squares, they grew more than I'd planned. The blanked was supposed to be 4' x 6' and it's probably closer to 5' x 7'. When I finished piecing it together in January, I realized how completely unfinshed it look. "Shit!" I thought. "All this work for something that looks like an oversized dishrag." Then Sarah from my knitting group suggested I make an applied i-cord border (she is i-cord obsessed, but I can make fun of her no longer). Perfect! It totally saved the project.

There are 24 squares in total, but I didn't have any way to photograph them all at once. I'll be mailing this off to Seattle later this week with a twinge of sadness. Why? Because it's so groovy, I kind of want it for myself. At least I know it's going to a good and loving home.

Ups and downs

2011-02-13T18:06:00.000-05:00

This past month has been a hard one with a lot of downs. The downs don't always go away, but focusing on them too much is bad for one's heart, so I try to focus on the ups, of which there are many, for example
Time spent with little cousins

Journey songs

Karaoke night & Korean food with the Fort Greene/Clinton Hill Knitters & Crocheters

A pretty hand-dyed (with beets!) skein of yarn from the yarn swap (Brava, Kim!)

A groovy present I received in our gift exchange (well done, Shameka!)

And a surprise, going away gift (a perfect fit, Emily!)

And a chocolate ice cream sundae with warm caramel sauce from Brooklyn Farmacy. That place is awesome! I highly recommend a visit if you find yourself in the Carroll Gardens area.

Reflecting on these lovely people and things makes me feel a bit cheerier.

Next time, I'll share some knitting news.

Today

2011-01-17T11:11:00.000-05:00

Cold hands

Bright sky

Runny nose

Sweaty face

Big smile

Sturdy legs

I love a winter morning run.

There are worse things I could do (worse)

2011-01-12T22:05:00.004-05:00

I like to knit and I like to talk about knitting, but I don't really enjoy taking pictures of knitting. I like taking pictures of friends, capturing special moments, but I'm not a gifted photographer and it comes across in my photos. And that's OK! I bake better cakes and cookies and brownies than most people I know; I can spot a burgeoning romance a block away; I'm pretty good with languages and I get along really well with uncles and in-laws. I'm not looking for sympathy; I'm just stating a fact. A fact that is clear when you see these:

I did not take these. Jim, the recipient of these tweedy socks, did. I gave them to him before I had a chance to photograph them so I told him he'd need to take some snaps for me so I'd have documentation of the finished product (he's a professional, you see). Man, did he pull through.

Details:

Pattern: My own

Yarn: Rowan Rowanfleck DK Tweed

Needles: 3.5mm & 3.75mm

Started: January 4

Finished: January 8

Jim is a dear friend with excellent and specific taste. His style is a little retro, a little modern and a little Scandinavian (perhaps I should have started with Scandinavian and just have been done with it). He is one of my most adored friends, and I wanted to give him something special for Christmas, but I knew the gift would need to be both useful and tasteful. Jim is one of those people who is always pairing down, so extras hold little appeal for him. It wasn't until after the 25th (but before the Epiphany, so still in the Christmas season) that I knew what I would give him: a hand knitted pair of house socks. What I call house socks are socks that are heavier and denser than usual and warm enough to function as slippers, without the bulky sole. Perfect for someone who likes to open a window for fresh air, or spend weekends at an underheated Pennsylvania cabin.

I couldn't find a sock pattern that was quite what I was looking for, so I improvised this one after consulting a couple of toe-up sock patterns I'd followed before (for fingering and worsted weight yarns). I really like to-up construction; I especially like the Magic 8 cast on. It really is like magic because suddenly you have a toe without seams! Anyway, I started these knowing only that Jim wears a 9 1/2 or 10 shoe. Fortunately I have man-sized feet, so I was able to try these on as I knit them to see if they would fit.

They do! And he loves them. What's better than that?

So, in closing, I'd say that there are worse things that I could be worse at than photography. Right, Rizz?

Sock it to me!

2011-01-09T12:00:00.002-05:00

One of my first FOs of 2011 is a pair of socks I started in October 2010. These were done as part of a one clue released each week knit-a-long, and I was going gangbusters for the first three weeks, until test knitting and holiday knitting intervened. I was kind of relieved to set them aside, though; I'm not sure why. They weren't particularly difficult.

Details:

Pattern: TTL Mystery Sock 2010, by Kristen Kapur

Yarn: Hazel Knits Artisan Sock

Needles: US 1/2.25mm

Started: October 9, 2010

Finished: January 3, 2011

I modified the pattern a bit. The "tiny trowels" pattern on the ankle was getting to be a bit much for me, and so I decided to work in rib stitch along the foot instead, which was both faster and easier. It also made them less fussy, and as I've said before, I'm not a fan of fussy knits.

This yarn I love. I bought it when I was visiting my dad in Portland last fall. I didn't spend time with any knitters while I was there, but I do have a very indulgent friend who very kindly took me to a couple of yarn stores I'd investigated. I picked up this skein at Twisted, which had a sizable collection or yarns dyed by small, independent dyers. I'd never seen anything by Hazel Knits before and I loved this color, so it seemed like a good choice. It was.

I hadn't been back to Portland for years, and it's changed a lot. In addition to drinking delicious coffee and eating delicious pie, I saw a tiny museum

saw some crazy yard statuary

saw some hippies (natch)

hung out with a super cute niblette

and walked the city with my dad.

It was a great trip.

From Minnesota with love

2011-01-07T12:48:00.000-05:00

For my birthday last year I received a super special gift from a friend and fellow knitter who lives in Minnesota: a skein of handspun.

The yarn itself was really exciting, but layered on top of the gift was a coincidence that made it really exciting for me. Almost two years earlier, I had commented on flickr about a beautiful baby blanket that I saw in a friend's photo. He told me it was made by a super cool knitter/spinner he knows in Minneapolis. End of story? Not quite. Turns out, Stephanie special ordered this yarn for me from the very same spinner: Nuttnbunny. There's nothing quite like the feeling of getting a truly spot-on present.

I considered making mittens or a hat with the skein, but in the end decided to use it for something that would be treated a bit more gently: a sweater.

I was snowbound when I shot this; perhaps that accounts for my sour countenance.

Details:

Pattern: #22 Garter Yoke Cardigan, by Melissa LeBarre

Yarn: Zealana Eco Cashmere Merino Blend (body), Nuttnbunny

Needles: 4.5mm

Start: September 5

Finish: September 20

I had been wanting to make this sweater since I saw it in Knit 1 magazine two years ago, a feeling that was underscored when I met the designer, Melissa, during our roadtrip to Webs. Quite a few knitters have knit with the colorblock modification and my calculations told me that I would have enough of the handspun to make it work. My initial instinct was to work the body using a grey yarn, but (a) I have almost as many grey sweaters as I do horizontally striped shirts and (b) I thought the grey might accent the purple and pinks of the handspun in a rather 6th grade way. There's quite a bit of brown in the yarn, so I decided to go that route instead.

Very glad that I did. The yarn was a bit of a leap of faith for me, as I ordered it online, but it matches exceedingly well. The cheap wood buttons make me quite happy, too. I am less happy, however, with my button sewing abilities. I sewed the buttons too close to the buttonband's outer edge, not realizing that this would result in noticeable gapping in the region of my bosoms. Easily enough fixed, but let's be realistic: I finished the sweater in September and only got around to sewing on the buttons on December 27th. This is how she's going to stay for the foreseeable future. And that's OK by me.

Pik-a-Mix

2010-12-27T21:37:00.001-05:00

For me, the holiday season is spent alternating between two modes: revelry and crafting lock-down. I enjoy them both, but I must admit that I'll be relieved when January rolls around and I can operate on a less frenetic pace. The revelry is fun and offers a distraction from the cares and burdens of normal life, but the crafting provides me time to think, plan, mull and relax. I relaxed so much this year that I couldn't seem to get off one project type: hats. It's almost become an addiction, but one that's that's healthier than wine or bourbon or easy men.

Some of these hats were were made with particular loved ones in mind, but others came about only because I wanted to experiment with specific yarns or techniques.

Pattern: My Own

Yarn: Frog Tree Alpaca Chunky

Needles: 5.0mm/6.5mm

Started: December 23

Finished: December 24

What I've learned about alpaca is that it makes terrible pullovers (because it's super warm and gets itchy) and its really drapey, both qualities that I thought would make it suitable for a slouchy winter hat. I really liked Kim Hargreaves Kat hat, but I wasn't in the mood to spend $26 on a pattern book, so I improvised this hat with the help of a stitch dictionary. I used somewhere in the neighborhood of 120-130 yards of the Frog Tree Alpaca. Love it! Loved it so much that as soon as i finished, I whipped up another.

Pattern: My Own

Yarn: Rowan Rowanflek DK Tweed (held doubled)

Needles: 5.5mm/9.0mm

Started: December 24

Finished: December 25

While I'm happy with this project overall, I'm not great fan of the yarn. It's a wool cotton blend, but it's oddly stiff and unyielding. I had to use large needles to prevent knitting a super stiff, icky fabric that would result in more of a helmet than a hat. It's hard to tell from the picture, but the yarn is tweedily flecked. I wanted to make a black because so many of us have black winter coats and colorful scarves, it's sometimes helpful to have one accessory that can fade in to the background a bit.

Both the yarn and pattern for this next project were selected specifically for it's recipient. David married one of my besties, Lauren, last summer. He's a fun and handsome man who hails from Portsmouth, England who, more than almost anyone else I know, is always super psyched to get a handmade gift from me, be it a cake, mix CD or knitwear. Since the UK is known for being damp and chilly, a hat was in order, and given this location, tweed seemed quite appropriate as well. Cables don't seem like his style, so I decided to go with a simple ribbed hat.

Pattern: Marsan Watchcap, by Staceyjoy Elkin

Yarn: Debbie Bliss Donegal Luxury Tweed Aran

Needles: 4.5mm

Started: December 12

Finished: December 15

I modified the pattern so that I worked in a k1tbl, p1 rib, which results in awesome stitch def. What makes this so neat, to me, is that when you've completed the brim, slip, turn, flip inside out move that results in your knitting in the opposite direction. This means that when the brim is flipped up, the visible rib is the same, not the reverse, of the rib on the body of the hat. Genius!

This next project started as something else entirely, and was, in fact, a completed project. The first iteration was a slouchy beret that had no slouch. It was awkward, at best, so I ripped it out and started on a pattern I've been wanting to make for a a few weeks now.

Pattern:

Last Minute Slouch by Madelinetosh

Yarn: Manos del Uruguay Silky Blend (held doubled)

Needles: 5.5mm, 6.0mm

Started: December 25

Finished: December 26

Not so slouchy, but I have a big head. None of the photos that I took capture the depth and shine of this yarn. If you've seen it, you know what I mean. This hat is the polar opposite of the slouchy black beret, and by that I mean it demands a neutral scarf and black coat. Bright and shiny, this one would be good to wear to a parade (easy to spot).

Pattern: Scarab, by Jane Richmond

Yarn: Jade Sapphire Mongolian Cashmere 6-ply

Needles: I'm guessing 4.5 & 5.5

Started: December 8

Finished: December 11

I'm petering out here, so these last two will be brief. This yarn is amazing. I want pillows made out of it. I want a hat out of it. I want a bra made out of it. This pattern utilizes a folded brim (attached to the body via picked up stitches) for extra warmth around the ears, and extra luxe in general. Faux cabling every 4th row meant an easy and satisfying knit. The yarn was a bit of a splash out, but the recipient, Megan, has been a friend since 1985, so she's earned it.

This last one was the first of the holiday batch that i made. Easy pattern that results in a well textured hat with a pattern that's noticeable yet subtle. I really like the soft effect of cabling without the use of purl stitches.

Pattern: Isotope Cable Hat by Tonya Wagner

Yarn: Rowan Lima

Needles: didn't make note, but I'm guessing 5.0mm

Started: November 13

Finished: November 15

This really isn't a Christmas gift. I was a bit lax with one of my birthday presents last year, so this will be going to Lauren, wife of David of the green tweed hat as part of a belated anniversary of your birth gift. Lauren's lovely with long dark hair, and I'm thinking she'll look a little like Ali Macgraw back in the 70's.

Cute, right? Steve McQueen knew how to pick 'em.

I'm beat now. Need a wee drink and then to bed. Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas to all y'all!

2010-12-24T20:24:00.000-05:00

Wishing you all life's blessings in 2011!

Little Queen

2010-12-13T22:20:00.000-05:00

There are a lot of chic people in New York City, and fall and winter are the chic seasons. Spring is flirty and summer is sexy, but fall and winter are when style takes center stage. Sweaters and tights and corduroy and boots and coats and scarves: there are a lot of elements, including textures and colors, to consider when dressing oneself for cold weather. It's easy to look clownish, which I sometimes do.

Lately I've been finding myself enraged when I see impossibly chic women with gigantic scarves and cowls wrapped round their necks. I want! I want! I want! And sometimes, the best gift to give is one that you would like to receive (assuming, of course, that the recipient would enjoy it as well).

Details:

Pattern: Snickerdoodle, by Lindsay Ingram

Yarn: Quince & Co. Puffin

Needles: US 15/10mm

Started: November 22

Finished: November 28

When I saw this pattern, I freaked out a little bit because it was EXACTLY what I'd been wanting, and I also knew it would be perfect for my friend Amy. Initially I planned to use the yarn called for by the pattern (Rowan Cocoon) but in the end I decided to use Quince and Co.'s Puffin, a bulky yarn that comes in a beautiful variety of colors. Peacock is the one I selected.

Working on this was a little tricky, as the recipient is my roommate; I couldn't exactly knit it up while we were sitting on the couch watching 30 Rock. Fortunately, some friends asked me to house and dog sit while they were away over thanksgiving, so I decamped to their home and knit this linen-like stitch demonically for four days. I was both sneaky and productive.

I was worried about blocking it, but she Amy was called out of town for work and I seized upon the opportunity to wetblock (I always wetblock) the 56" long cowl and dry it on the floor under a fan. The stitch opened up a bit with blocking, but it didn't grow a tremendous amount, which was a relief, as it was sizable to begin with. The yarn did soften a bit, though, which was nice. It's soft and flexible, yet has good body. There's definitely going to be more Quince & Co. in my future. Amy's going to Minnesota tomorrow for the Christmas holiday, and since it's been blizzarding out there (I'm not joking; their football stadium collapsed under the weight of the snow), this should prove quite useful.

A few of my knitting pals and I got together on Sunday to say "Bye for now" to one of our ranks who is heading to India for two months. It was a lovely afternoon and I took advantage of the daylight to snap these photos. I was excited to see the cowl (dubbed Little Queen", another homage to Heart) on women of different heights, sizes and coloring.

Thank you to all of my sporting models. And good luck with your holiday knitting!

On presents and scarves and 70s rock legends

2010-12-06T14:43:00.002-05:00

I'm not a crazy Christmas nut, and I deplore much of the excess of the season, but I do really enjoy selecting gifts for people. Mind you, I don't give gifts to a ton of people, as that's not fun and makes each gift less special, but I enjoy the process of thinking about a person and what would make a nice present for them. I like it so much that I considered working as a personal shopper at one time. But that's another story.

The key to picking a good gift is obvious, but often overlooked: what's important is the recipient, not the giver. It's inevitable that the gift that I give will say something about me, but first and foremost it should be something of use to, needed by or desired by the recipient. Or maybe something which the recipient has never seen, but which is so totally them that when they unwrap it, they can hardly stop marvelling at it. You know, cashmere mittens are luxurious and wonderful, but I would never give a pair to my Uncle Roger, a dairy farmer. He'd smile and appreciate them and then they would sit on a shelf in his closet, never used. Buy him a Thinsulate lined wool cap that would be useful in the barn during a Minnesota winter and he'd brag on that gift for weeks.

Since this will be my last Christmas in New York, I've been giving a lot of thought to my friends and their presents. This year's gifts will be equal measure Merry Christmas, I love you and I'll miss you. I've been busy making stuff, but I've purchased a few items as well, because while knitting brings me endless joy, there are only so many hats with which I can surprise someone. One of the most exciting gifts I've purchased so far is a flower pin from Emerson Made. So festive, so femme and so her. I'd love to have one myself to jazz up my many all black, I've-lived-in-New York-since-1995 outfits. Someday.

I also received a package this weekend from Brooklyn based natural skin product maker, Soapwalla Kitchen. I've been eyeballing her products for about a year now, and this holiday proved the perfect excuse to place an order for a couple of friends who, like me, worry about the preservatives and petrochemicals contained in so many bath and beauty products. The woman behind Soapwalla Kitchen has Lupus (an autoimmune disease) and started making things out of her own need for healthier skincare products. Right on, I say. If you can't find what you want, make it yourself!

In addition to prezzies, I've been busy shopping for holiday cards. Some years I make my own, but last year and this, I decided to hand the reins over to talented letterpress artisans so that I can focus on under-the-tree items. I won't give away this year's designs, but last year I ordered sweet New Year's cards from Ink and Iron, and some Christmas cards from Ruby Press. I'm rather particular when it comes to stationery and I like to write, and receive, letters, and I like my holiday cards to express this (this is one part of my holiday season that's almost entirely about me).

One might get the impression that with all of this shopping, I've been left with little time for knitting, but that's not the case; I've managed to work up a gift or two, including this:

Details:

Pattern: Quick, Easy-Peasy Scarf, by Nicole Okun

Yarn: Berroco Peruvia Quick

Needles: US 17/12.75mm

Started: November 20

Finished: November 21

Quick and easy is right. I knit this giant in 2 days, and I'm not a particularly fast knitter. The pattern as written called for a lopi style yarn and US 11/8.0mm needles, but I decided to follow Terezka's mods and use heavier yarn (held double), bigger needles and add fringe. I wanted a warm and dramatic scarf for a tall and lovely friend who lives in Paris, and I could not be happier with the results.

Thanks Amy for modelling!

I call it Barracuda, a wee homage to the Wilson sisters, Ann and Nancy, aka Heart. I don't "heart" heart, I love them. Powerful, sexy, dramatic, talented rock and rollers. I mean, look at them!

I know they've rocked their fair share of loooonnnng scarves in their day, so the name seemed appropriate.

When Barracuda was finished, I decided I had to have something similar for myself, and while it was a fast knit, I couldn't stomach the idea of working that 2 row stitch pattern again so soon, so I went in search of scarves with similar vibage, and came up with this:

Details:

Pattern: Chunky Alpaca Scarf by Jane Richmond

Yarn: Malabrigo Chunky

Needles: US 9/5.5mm

Started: November 28

Finished: December 2

Your basic feather and fan stitch pattern got me what I wanted: a cozy scarf that would fold and scrunch nicely around my neck while looking a bit more feminine than garter stitch. This took exactly four skein of Malabrigo Chunky (colorway Glazed Carrot, although one friend labeled it Persimmon).

I wanted the scarf to be as long as possible, but I also knew that I wanted fringe, so when I finished knitting the third skein, I made fringe with the fourth skein, attached them to the cast on edge, made the same number of fringe (fringes?) for the other end then knit with the remaining yarn until I ran out. Easy and stress free. I call her Bebe Le Strange.

Orchids and Bunnies and Fairy Lights

2010-11-15T16:19:00.000-05:00

This hat. Oh, this hat. I've been wanting to make this hat for more than a year now. Sometimes I worry things to death while other times I make super snap decisions. One would think that picking up a pair of needles and starting on something as low commitment as a hat would be no big deal, but for some reason, I was hesitant to knit this one, even though I really, really wanted it.

A couple of weeks ago when I was at Rhinebeck, I saw a skein of yarn at a booth that I really, really wanted, kind of how I really, really wanted to make this hat, and it just kind of came to me that they might be a perfect match. So I bought the yarn and now I have the hat.

Details:

Pattern: Orchids and Fairy Lights, by Tiny Owl Knits

Yarn: Jamie Harmon Merino/Angora 2-ply

Needles: 4.0mm & 5.0mm

Started: November 10

Finished: November 13

Tiny Owl Knits is the same person who deigned the Some Cloudy Day legwarmers that I made earlier this fall. She's got a whole foresty, magical fairy vibe going on, and while I'm not really able to pull that off myself, I find myself drawn to many of her designs nonetheless. For example, one of the things I love about this hat is it's softness, like the way the bobbles are set at the tips of the cables like buds at the tips of branches, and even how the cables aren't typical cables in that they never cross, so they're never cut off. They just look to be stretching and growing like saplings. So cute! But not twee. At least I don't think so.

Photos courtesy of Oiyi and Penny.

I'm not exactly sure how much of this yarn I had because it wasn't labeled, but as I worked, I realized I wouldn't have enough yarn to complete the hat as written, so I eliminated one pattern repeat from the length. Still, it fits, so that's good. For such a soft yarn, the Jamie Harmon produced great stitch definition; I'm quite pleased with how the bobbles pop. It's super annoying to go through the work of making bobbles only to have then turn out flaccid receding. Blech.

So, I am happy with my little luxury purchase and with the pattern it paired with. This cozy little thing fills a "neutral headwear" void in my wardrobe. Now, if the weather would cooperate and stay below 6o, I could bust her out.

The most wonderful time of the year

2010-11-11T09:35:00.000-05:00

Some people say it's Christmas, but if you know me, you know that to my mind, the most wonderful time of the year is the first Sunday in November, or as I call it: Marathon Sunday. Even writing about it gives me chills.

The New York City Marathon is an amazing event, the largest marathon in the United States, possibly in the world. This year, more than 45,000 met in New York City to run, wheel or walk 26.2 miles in a single day and, incredibly, thousands of New Yorkers in all five boroughs turned out to cheer them on.

My love affair with the Marathon began 10 years ago, when a friend invited me to a boozy marathon brunch at her home on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. We ate bagels and lox and then ventured out to 1st Avenue to see the competitors in action. I was in tears within 10 minutes, no joke. Young people, old people, slim people, fat people, able bodied and disabled people. It was such an amazing sight, thousands and thousands of these people from all over the world doggedly working their way to that finish line.

So affected was I that the next year, my cousin Paula and I entered and ran the New York City Marathon together, which was even more fun than I'd imagined. There's this tradition with the Marathon of putting your name on your shirt so that supporters can shout personal encouragements to you and damn if it wasn't unbelievably exciting to hear "Go Rebecca! Looking good!" while we were running. I could not stop waving and smiling, and it took my mind off of the long slog that lay ahead of us.

Two years later, I moved in to an apartment that was right on the Marathon route, between miles 8 and 9. Right on, as in step out of my door and hit a runner on. I started hosting a brunch people who wanted to come to Brooklyn and watch the race. It started small, but last year, at least 50 people passed through my door to enjoy Mimosas, coffee cake, strata and cheer for the racers.

The true race enthusiasts would come early (8:30 a.m.) to cheer for the wheeled athletes, who are among the most inspirational. They're followed in start times by other disabled athletes, the elite women, the elite men and then the masses. By 1 pm almost all of the atheletes have passed, but it's still hard to leave. How can you turn your back on these people??? Especially when you know you;re leaving them to go stuff your face and have another drink. Eventually the street cleaners would come by signaling the end of the race, but the eating and drinking would continue until the evening (last year's last guests left at 9 pm). It was always a fun and exhausting day.

Since I moved two weeks ago, I no longer live right on the Marathon route and so, no big party. I was a little sad about this for a bit, but I had something even better to get excited about: my friend, neighbor and sometimes running buddy, Dawn, was running the race for the first time. It's an amazing feat, but made even more so by the fact that she's a 40 year old mother who also has MS. No getting her down.

You can see I wasn't her only fan. Due to a wardrobe malfunction, we almost missed Dawn and Julie, but they were eagle eyed and spotted me bent down in the street trying to pick up a hat. Squeals and jumps and cheers and waves, and then they were off to finish, and finish they did. Woot woot!

While they wound their way up to Queens, across the East River into Manhattan, up north to the Bronx and back to Manhattan towards the finish line, we kept on cheering and enjoyed some pumpkin doughnut muffins, inspired by my friend Little Bird, Big City.

No doubt about it

this certainly is the most wonderful time of the year.

Whoops!

2010-11-09T22:10:00.000-05:00

In the words of Elvis Costello: accidents will happen.

This particular one involved a red onion, a sharp knife and the tip of my thumb. Later, some gauze, packing tape and a Bloody Maria got involved.

If you look closely, you can see the amputated bit about half way down the blade of the chef's knife.

Parting is such sweet sorrow

2010-11-02T13:43:00.000-04:00

A while back I decided to make a big change, a big move. Come next spring, I will relocate to Minnesota. It's exciting, but, having lived in New York for 15 years, also nerve wracking. Big changes are sometimes easier to handle when undertaken in steps. My apartment lease ended this fall and I had no desire to renew, but neither was I quite ready to say goodbye to my life in New York and head west, so Step One for me was moving out of my apartment and in with a friend whom I've known since our first day of college.

For the past several weeks I've been preparing for the move: shredding old papers, wheeling donations to the Goodwill in my grannycart, reserving a storage space, packing, blah blah blah. Rhinebeck, a wedding and a trip to Oregon all happened while I was trying to TC all of this B, but it worked out. It's been all-consuming, and I've done very little socializing (or knitting) these last 10 days, but It's done. Step One was completed and I've moved (4 blocks away, but still).

Oh, old apartment. We've had some good times, you and I: the barbecues, the Marathon parties, the birthdays, the dinners, the cocktails.

My stuff!

I'll never forget you.

Rhinebeck!

2010-10-21T20:21:00.000-04:00

Festivals are fun and fall festivals might just be the most fun. Crisp air, good light, hay rides, abundant vegetables and fruit, sheep & alpaca. I got some of that last weekend, more than enough to make me happy, at the New York State Sheep and Wool Festival held annually in Rhinebeck, NY.

Baaaa!

I have no need for yarn, but having been told by Ravelry friend Craftivore that it's really an amazing experience (and since this may be my last chance [more on that later]) I decided to ride the bus up with my friends Angela and Tomo to check it out for myself. In a word, it was AWESOME.

I wasn't sure what to expect, except for a lot of yarn freaky-dekes, but the doings at Rhinebeck pulled me in, slapped me about and said "Girl, this is the REAL deal."

Our 6 a.m. bus, which really left at 6:45, arrived at the fairgrounds at 9 am, just as the gates were opening. Angela and Tomo were seasoned veterans of the sheep and wool festival, so we headed straight to A Building and the Brooks Farm booth, where I made my first three purchases of the day (1 skein each of Acero, Solano and Duet). Then I decided to slow down as we were but 30 minutes into a very long day.

Almost straight away Angela (who's just released her first shawl pattern) bumped into some people she knew and excited showing off of hand knits commenced.

Visiting in Building A.

As we made our way around from building to building, I saw that the Sheep and Wool Festival really was about sheep and wool. I knew there would be lots of small farms and indie vendors selling yarn, but I was surprised to see so many varieties of wool (and alpaca): raw, uncarded, carded, spun, dyed, undyed. I don't know the proper terms, as my wool usually comes from a store, but the diversity was amazing. These award winning bags of fleece were among my favorite. So soft and lofty to touch.

Duchess County award winning fleece

There really was something for everyone.

Although the festival grounds were sizable, there were crowds and lines wherever we went. When I reviewed my photos I spotted a knitting celeb in this crowd shot. Do you see her? Hint: she's wearing one of her new designs.

Yes, it's Ann Weaver of Weaver Knits! The funny thing is that I saw her face to face what must have been minutes after this. When I'm tired or tipsy (and that morning I was tired) my inhibitions lower and I blurt out whatever's on my mind, so when I saw her, I got all excited and stopped her to tell her I liked her work and congratulated her on the new book. She was super smiley and gracious and seemed surprised to be recognized, but I really felt that I'd spotted a star, like when I was in L.A. back on 2001 and saw
Maude Adams at a ramen house. Exciting!

My Weaverknits sighting was my first of the day. I also spotted and stopped (accosted?) Flint Knits, Lauren of Lolly Knitting Around and Craftivore. Spotting Craftivore was easy, however as (1) I'd spotted her last year at the Brooklyn Flea and we'd since struck up a Ravelry friendship, (2) I knew what she'd be wearing and (3) we planned to meet up. Still, it was exciting. Here she is perfectly attired for a fall wool fest.

The skirt that you see is just the bottom half of an amazing dress she designed and knit herself, just for fun. It's gorge.

I spotted several other designers/bloggers, but really, one can only freak out on so many people before security steps in, so I kept my distance and instead just pulled on Tomo's sleeve saying "There's Neoknits", "There's Gudrun!" "There's Triple C!" She was very patient with me.

In addition to seeing strangers whom I recognized, I also saw some real-life friends and neighbors, including knitting group member Sarah, and her family, who were playing and enjoying the Rhinebeck's famed Chicken Pot Pie.

How's that chicken pot pie?

It was a swell day, with minimal freakishness, loads of sun and pretty scenery.

More than anything else, though, I think I enjoyed the livestock the most. The sheep and alpaca have faces that are hard to believe. So sweet and cute, you want to put them in your pocket and take them home. Then you remember you live in a basement apartment in Brooklyn with a cemented over back yard and yeah, that would be gross. I think my Brooklyn pals were surprised by just how in to the animals I was, but look:

OK, these were freaky, S&M gimp looking, but try to see past the get-up.

Seeing all of the different wools and animals gave me a new appreciation for knitting and has inspired me to experiment more with textures and tones and traditional garments and stitches. I'm excited.

Mexican-spiced hot cocoa + mini-doughnuts = deliciousness.

It was, all told, a wonderful day. Thank you to all who helped make it so (you know who you are!).

What's a finger got to do to get some love?

2010-10-11T16:36:00.001-04:00

I need to get a new schtick, because this shit is getting old. Not that I don't like what I'm making, but I'm starting to feel like a freak with a one track mind: fingerless mitts. And yet I can't. Tear. Myself. Away.

This first pair here I designed myself using some sock weight yarn someone had donated to me and a DK weight wool/cashmere blend left over from a sweater I knit this fall (photos to come when buttons have been sewn on). I guess that's one of the advantages to making lots of the same thing: you learn enough about construction to be able to work with different needles and yarns, improvise and make something that fits.

Details:

Pattern: Latte Mitts, by me

Yarn: Brunswick Pomfret (tan); Zealana Eco Cashmere Merino Blend (dark brown)

Needles: 3.25mm

Started: September 20

Finished: September 23

When I decided to make these, I knew that I wanted to do something simple, but with a little design element, something that would be easy for me to knit on the subway and that wouldn't require a ton of concentration. A little bit of texture by way of garter stitch on a stockinette background seemed like a good way to go, and the brown on tan just felt right for the fall. I mean, camel is all the rage this season, n'est ce pas? And all in all, I'm really happy with the way they turned out. Functional and subtly stylish.

Originally these were going to be a gift for a friend in Minnesota, but I've changed my mind. The Latte Mitts will go to a friend in Oregon, and the mitts below will go to Minnesota, for what seem to me to be obvious reasons.

Chunky and cozy, these are better suited to fall and late winters in Minnesota than the Latte Mitts. When it gets a bit colder, but before it turns bitter cold, they can be worn over an inexpensive pair of stretchy gloves, the kind you can get at Target for $2. Again, pretty on-trend as far as color goes, and also with little bit of texture. Me like.

Details:

Pattern: Rippled Cable Gloves by Linda Lunn

Yarn:Lion Brand Fisherman Wool

Needles: 4.0mn & 5.0mm

Start: September 29

Finish: October 8

You want to talk satisfying knits? These totally fit the bill. Easy pattern, not too fussy, a larger gauge (for a change) smooth yarn with a touch of lanolin and a subtle texture that screams "I'm really cozy!!!". What makes these cables so lovely to my eyes is that they are so soft, and they are soft because they're not set off by twisted or purled stitches. It's just cabling on a stockinette background, and the result is something distinctly feminine but not sissified or fussy (there's that word, again). In these one could ice skate or walk the dog or grab a pail or pick a couple of squash for dinner or help pitch a tent. And hopefully one will.

p.s. True color is closest to the last photo, fyi. Blast that direct sunlight!

Long Live LaReine!

2010-10-11T15:47:00.000-04:00

Another shawl, number 8 for me this year, but definitely one of my favorites. Why?

Well, in part because it was designed by a friend, the first pattern I have ever worked that was designed by an honest to goodness friend. Angela was one of the three founding members of the Fort Greene/Clinton Hill Knit & Crochet Group, so I've known her for more than two years now. In addition to being an accomplished knitter and crocheter, she used to design jewelry, so I knew she had latent design capabilities, but only recently have they re-emerged. And boy, have they emerged. This is her first design, and will be available to the public later this week, but she's already worked up another design and has plans for a third. You'd never accuse her of being lazy.

Details:

Pattern: LaReine, by Angela Tong

Yarn: Araucania Itata Solid

Needles: 3.75mm

Started: September 12

Finished: September 29

Although it took me 2 weeks to knit this, it is not a two week shawl. Because I was a test knitter for this pattern and I wanted the finished result to look as good as possible, when I made mistakes (dropped a stitch, missed a yo, etc.) I actually fixed them instead of ignoring them. Also, because this pattern consists largely of stockinette, mistakes become pretty glaring, which makes them easy to find and easy to fix. The yarn that I chose is a light and airy wool/bamboo/silk blend, resulting in a soft, drapey shawl that's more suited to spring and summer than winter. I love the color and chose it, in part, because the lace pattern in the shawl reminded me of flames, so I thought the orange would make a good pairing. Almost all of the other test knitters picked up a water vibe and have knit LaReine in shades of blue and blue-green. Not sure what that says about me . . .in any event, I give this pattern, and it's designer, a thumbs up

p.s. Angela's hosting a give-away on her blog right now, featuring yarn and the LaReine pattern, so I'd pop on over if I were you.

Look around, Leaves are brown

2010-10-01T07:03:00.000-04:00

And the sky is a hazy shade of winter.

Only its 75 degrees outside. And raining. What's the deal, nature? I'm not one of those wussies who complains about the weather, because really, what's more boring? Aside from listening to someone talk about his workout; that's infinitely more boring than the weather. No, my issue is a more practical one: I don't know what to wear. My trusty waterproof jacket and wellies are great at keeping moisture out, and in, as in when I stand on the still hot from the summer subway platform in all that rubber and Tyvek and Gore-Tex(TM) my body temp rises until I'm sweating like a pig at a BBQ. Waterproof doesn't breathe! It's too sweaty for sweaters, yet folks still rocking their light and bright summer gear look foolish, as the days have grown short and the light is now more flattering on greys, browns and russets than bright pinks, yellows and greens. It's put me in a quandary Jack Donaghy! A quandary!

One thing I've not done is slow up on my knitting. It's still prohibitively warm for me, or anyone else, to wear the things that I've made, but I've kept at it. My tenacity has had more to do with my wanting to work through some of my stash as anything else. As of late, it has become more burdensome than inspiring, and so I am lightening my load. In addition to these various projects, I also took three shopping bags of yarn to the Goodwill and, man, was there a spring in my step when I'd finished that errand.

So what have I made?

Details:

Pattern: Ottilia Mittens, by Mari Muinonen

Yarn: Lion Brand Fisherman Wool

Needles: 4.0mm

Started: August 21

Finished: August 27

I've been a fan of Mari Muinonen's patterns for a couple of years now but this is only the second one I've ever knit. The mittens were fun and interesting, completed while I was dogsitting at a home with cable television, so there was a lot of The First 48 going on in the background. The yarn (I used maybe 1/4 of a skein) is more from our spring time yarn swap. I've really been feeling the brown lately, and cables, too. Actually, what I've been feeling texture, in general, to wit:

Details:

Pattern: Martha Cowl Scarf, by Che (Little Thingies Ravelry Shop)

Yarn: Unknown cotton or cotton/wool blend

Hook: 5.5mm

Started: September 23

Finished: September 24

This was, I believe, my third attempt at making a chunky cowl, and the first one that was successful. In order to be functional, a cowl needs to keep you warm, but most of cowls knit or crocheted with heavier yarns, and some worked at finer gauges, sit away from the neck leaving it exposed. This is nonsense! If it's cold enough for me to wear something thick and heavy around my neck, then my neck needs protection. it's not rocket science. And yet I continue to see a proliferation of patterns that offer no protection from the elements whatsoever. It's ridonkulous.

Well, that's certainly not a problem here.

Crocheted with heavier yarn, the simple and airy stitch pattern prevents this cowl from being too stiff to scrunch , so I can double wrap it 'round my neck and keep cozy and warm. Yes, please!

This next project was something that had been sitting in my queue for over year, but I never had quite the right yarn for it. Until I frogged a 3/4 finished and poorly conceived sweater this past summer and found myself with just the right shade of alpaca.

Details:

Pattern: Some Cloudy Day, by Tiny Owl Knits

Yarn: Sajima Alpaca

Needles: 3.25mm/3.5mm

Started: August 25

Finished: September 4

I had originally planned on making these for me, but about 1/2 way through the first legwarmer, I decided they were for Beth. I'd sent hats to her husband and twins in Sweden last summer, but nothing for her (she's had my handknits before, so it's not as bad as it sounds), and so it seemed clear that she was next in line for a present. Also, like me, she wears skirts all winter long (clogs, too!) so I knew she would appreciate the extra layer of warmth.

These are pretty great, and by that I mean the pattern is pretty great. Like Mari Muinonen, Tiny Owl Knits has designed several patterns that I really like, but this was the first one I'd made. The lace pattern is easy, but effective and I enjoyed these so much that I promptly turned around and bought one of her hat patterns. Let's see if I can get that finished before New Year's.

Holla!

2010-09-04T15:20:00.000-04:00

After making my second trip to the farmers' market to buy more peaches (get 'em while you can!), I stopped in the Brooklyn Flea to browse and maybe get a little snack. I certainly didn't expect to find this:

What?!? Here I've been trying to destash, simplify, use what I have, and then I find 18 cones of beautiful cotton. Apparently the vendor found them in front of the Met, which is bizarro, but all I could think was "hexagons, washcloths, bathroom curtain." $55 later, they were mine. Sometimes you can't let a good thing pass you by.

How do you beat the heat?

2010-09-01T22:01:00.000-04:00

Me? I like to knock back a cool one. Or two.

If you doubt that it's hot, just check out the sweat on my brow. September 1st and 95 degrees. What? Did I break my wrist? No, that's not a cast. Those are just some fingerless mitts I crocheted for myself a while back.

Details:

Pattern: Marry Me Mary, by Janette Millbom

Yarn: unknown (recycled from a sweater)

Hook: F/3.75mm

Started: August 17

Finished: August 18

I have a lot of dark winter accessories and have been wanting to add some lighter and brighter items, so this yarn fit the bill. It was 3/4's of a Phildar sweater before I realized I was making the wrong size and didn't have enough yarn to finish the sweater anyway, so I ripped out and started a couple of projects, this being the first completed. It's more marled white and tan than it appears in these pictures and I'm not sure about the yarn content, but my guess is a cotton/poly blend. I'd call it a worsted weight, so I worked the pattern it with a small needle so that the fabric would be dense and stiff.

The pattern is a modified Catherine's Wheel, and I had a really rough time picking it up. I read the pattern, I read other versions of the stitch, I watched videos. After about three hours I finally got it down. It was one of the most frustrating crochet experiences I've ever had, but I felt really good once I finally got it down. The mitts are crocheted back and forth rather than in the round, so they had to be seamed. I decided that I wanted a visible seam, and so crocheted them together rather than sewing.

A mi me gustan!

My style, but not entirely

2010-08-14T17:28:00.000-04:00

I spend kind of a lot of time on Ravelry peeping at other people's projects. I do it the way some people read House & Garden or Vogue. I'm always looking for inspiration and interesting twists on patterns. I've found that there are some crafters whose work I almost love. PetraO is one of those. She has such an amazing sense of color, usually pairing solids with solids (which is totally up my alley; I dress almost entirely in solids or horizontal stripes). I've been particularly taken with her shawl modifications. She knits lace shawls according to the pattern and then crochets a border in a contrasting color. It's the perfect way to take something that could look frumpy or very Renaissance Faire (you know what I mean) and make it fresh, pretty and modern.

So I totally bit her style.

Twice. So far.

Details:

Pattern: Diamond Knit Shawl, by Lion Brand (free)

Yarn: Sheep Shop Sheep 3 (discontinued) - body; Wollemeise Sockenwoll 80/20 twin (border)

Needle: 5.0mm

Hook: 3.25mm

Start: July 29

Finished: August 2

This worked up so quickly, I could hardly believe it. The pattern is so well written with short, simple repeats. The Sheep Shop yarn is no longer available as the company went out of business, which is too bad because it is lovely (it was also expensive, but I got this on deep discount at Webs last fall). A wool/silk blend it's soft and snuggly against the skin and has a wonderful drape.

Despite the silk content, the yarn gives good stitch definition. The pink is so pink, so sweet, that I knew I needed something bold to make it less saccharine. I considered green, but thought it would look too preppy. I had the red Wollmeise on hand (color is Herzblut, which means lifeblood in German) and decided it would add the right amount of aggression to the shawl.

I had no one particular in mind while I was knitting this, but once I finished the border, I knew it was for me. Mine, all mine.

Just a few days afer finishing #1, I cast on for #2.

Details:

Pattern: Diamond Knit Shawl, by Lion Brand

Yarn: Nashua Handknits Creative Focus Worsted (main); Spud & Chloe Fine (border)

Needle: 5.5mm

Hook: 3.25mm

Started: August 6

Finished: August 13

This one took me longer to finish, in part because the yarn was less fun to work with. It's a woolly single ply, so will be warm, but was a bit splitty and not as soft as the Sheep 3. I think that softness can be overrated sometimes; it's not the only think one wants in a knitted garment, or we would all run about in angora undergarments wouldn't we? No, that this is woolly gives it substance, makes it appropriate for cold winter days.

Again, I considered a lot of different colors for the border. A straw yellow was an early contender, but I decided to go with something that would jump out a bit more. I have to say I really, really like this one, too. The resulting shawl is less femmy that the first which makes it an appropriate gift for any number of my friends. I have an idea where I'll be sending this, but don't want to let the cat out of the bag just yet.

Tack så mycket for the inspiration PetraO!

See what I mean about solids and stripes? I'm dressed like a Kool-Aid multi pack.

Sullivan County, USA

2010-08-09T12:57:00.000-04:00

Ahhhhh, open spaces!

I miss them. When I first moved to Brooklyn, one of the things I liked the best was that it was low-rise, which meant I could see the sky, which meant I felt that I had elbow room which meant I was relaxed and happy. Over the past 10 years, grody developers have endeavored to turn Brooklyn into a version of Manhattan's far west side: tall glass "luxury" buildings. This seldom means luxury but always means expensive and higher rise. Blech.

Anyway, I was treated to a little trip out of town recently with T-Bone and Pierre. They have a place upstate and we decamped there for a weekend of good food and mellowness. On Saturday Terence (T-Bone) and I visited a local farm stand.

The farm stand operates out of an old barn and opens at 10. By 10:30 there was a line 10 people long waiting to check out - quite a scene. Terence bought food for lunch and dinner. I bought hippie soap.

It's so beautiful that it's almost comical.

While we were out running errands (so much faster in a car than hoofing it, as is my norm), Pierre was making curtains for one of the upstairs bedrooms.

I was impressed by his productivity: two panels in the morning and two after lunch. Sewing gives a satisfaction that's hard to replicate with any other craft. It is fast and efficient and sometimes incredibly simple. Cooking is wonderful, but the results and enjoyment, are temporary. Knitting, even quickly, is much more time consuming, and so the gratification is delayed. But with sewing, one can often start and finish a project in one day, and enjoy it for years to come. How wonderful is that?

After lunch I took a 2 1/2 hour nap. Mon dieu! I never sleep so long, but man oh man did it feel good. Before dinner, I went for a little walk to wake up a bit, and wound up at my favorite little spot around there: Nearing Cemetery.

It's a tiny cemetery, overgrown and not well tended, on a gravel road the middle of the country. At night it's really spooky (to me, at least) but in the daytime, it's lovely.

Nearing cemetery hasn't completely abandoned; see the American flag on the left? Someone had placed it at a more recent grave, perhaps on July 4th? Terence says there are still Nearings in the area. Can you imagine anything more gothic and romantic that a family cemetery? So neat.

Tal, Brett, Colin and Peter came for dinner that night. They have homes in neighboring towns, and so often get together on weekends. I've known most of them as long as I've known Terence: 15 years this month.

It was a beautiful evening, so dinner was al fresco. We ate a lot, drank a lot and laughed a lot.

Mad hatting

2010-08-05T15:03:00.001-04:00

Ja, it's more hats. I'm queueing them faster than I can cast on and there's no end in sight. I started another this morning after finishing one late last night. It's kind of like that summer I went on an accidental Twizzler diet: for 2 1/2 days I craved twizzlers like nobody's business. At breakfast with coffee, during the day while sitting at the information desk directing people's calls, and in the evenings with beer. Nothing else appealed to me. Then, in the middle of day 3 I hit a serious wall, had a serious stomach ache and the shakes. The next day, I returned to my normal dietary habits and I was none the worse for wear. Sometimes you just have to let yourself scratch that itch (unless the itch is to freebase or drunk dial something else absurd, in which someone close needs to slap you and tell you to get it together).

So, here we have the second in my Prince themed hats: When Doves Cry.

Details:

Pattern: Rose Red, by Ysolda Teague

Yarn: Shadyside Farm Studio Angora with Lambswool

Needles: 3.75mm, 4.0mm

Started: July 22

Finished: July 23

The second time around with this hat, I decided to make the size small. It turned out small, alright. Tomo (my gracious model) is petite with a small head and it's snug at the brim on her. This throws a bit of wrench into my intended gifting plans, but I remain optimistic. If nothing else, I know an adorable three year old who's sure to grow in to it eventually.

The yarn is some that I received during my knitting group's great yarn swap last spring. It is so soft and so fuzzy and so incredibly awesome, like the plumes of little, tiny weeping doves (there's your thematic tie in, ladies and germs).

On the same day that I finished the beret, I started on a pair of hats for my friends Felix and Rasmus. To call them friends might be a stretch, as they are only 9 months old, but I am awfully fond of them. Felix and Rasmus (or FeRas, as their mum calls them) aren't identical twins, but they look enough alike that I have a hard time telling them apart. Consequently, I have been known to refer to them as "This one" and "that one." It would be pretty great if it turned out I were always calling the same twin "this one" and the other twin "that one", so that when I'm old and dotty and they called me on the phone I could ask "who is it," and when the man on the other end answered "This one," I would know who he was.

As that day is approx. 40 years in the future, for now our relationship is limited to me making them things and them smiling at me, which is more than payment enough.

Details:

Pattern: Elvish, by Melanie Hoffman

Yarn: Nashua Handknits Creative Focus Worsted

Needles: 4.0mm & 4.5mm

Started: July 23

Finished: July 26

This pattern is an adaptation (for worsted weight yarn) of the Sweet Baby Norwegian Cap that is so popular (and deservedly so). In a departure from my usual m.o., I knit these using DPNs rather than the Magic Loop method and I had fun with those pointy little sticks! The yarn is pretty woolly which I thought was appropriate for children who are half Swedish. One of the things I like about Scandinavian knitting, both traditional and contemporary, is that it doesn't shy away from woolly, textured wools. Shit gets cold up there, and some bamboo cotton blend is more appropriate for L.A. than Malmo! I popped these in the mail today, which may not have been the smartest move since it's still too warm in Sweden for wool hats and the family will be back in New York before the weather turns seriously cold, but I really, really wanted to surprise their parents.

Speaking of parents, I also knit a hat for This One and That One's father, or Far, as they say in his homeland.

Details:

Pattern: 70s Ski Hat, by Whitney Van Nes for The Purl Bee

Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash, Patons Classic Wool Merino, Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool

Needles: 4.5mm

Started: July 27

Finished: July 28

I'd made this hat twice before, the year after I started knitting, but didn't remember much about the construction, so the project was fun and felt new. It's got a neat cashmere band on the inside (yes, I actually used cashmere this time) that you work beginning with a provisional cast on. Then, when it's time to join the main color for the hat, you knit one row with the new yarn, purl one row with the new yarn, and then knit all remaining rows. This creates a neat little ridge in the fabric that makes it easy to fold the cashmere lining portion under.

Now, my friend said her husband's head is "gigantic" and I truly hope that it is, because this hat if h-u-g-e. It's even big on me, and I have a head the Sputnik could orbit. This, too, went off in the mail today, so I guess I'll find out soon enough.

Speaking of huge heads, I'll leave you with a favorite clip from one of my favorite movies of the early 1990s:

Toonces The Driving Cat

2010-07-30T06:07:00.000-04:00

I've been on a bit of a toy-knitting jag recently, probably because they're quick and fun and provide a good distraction from a couple of longer term projects on which I've been working. But let's not over-analyze this; they're also pretty cute. The three most recent toys (including the Bates and Crawford families) have all been Rebecca Danger patterns, which are available both on Ravelry and Etsy. I have to give a shout-out here to Ms. Danger and her patterns, which are really clearly written and include large and helpful photos. The toys are all fairly simple, cute and a bit funny looking, which is just as a knitted toy should be, to my mind.

I think Toonces here fits that description.

Details:

Pattern: Greta the Captivating Cat, by Rebecca Danger

Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted Multi, in Glenwood

Needles: US5/3.75mm

Started: July 26

Finished: July 29

Named for my favorite car-driving cat from 1980s late night TV, Toonces is going to live with Consuelo and David and their on-the-way baby. I made him using a partial skein of Lorna's Laces that was left over from a Baby Surprise Jacket I'd made two years ago. I hadn't initially planned it, but after I'd been working for a bit, I noticed that the variegated nature and colors in the yarn were creating a great calico effect. The yarn is soft and springy and, importantly, machine washable.

I was nervous about stitching on his arms, ears and tail because finishing is not my strong suit and there's no great way to hide these stitches, but again, the variegated yarn worked in my favor masking some of my stitches. I did make a modification with respect to his tail, and instead of working it in the round, I just made a 5-stitch i-cord. Easy as pie, and it looks good.

The kind you find in a second hand store

2010-07-21T06:00:00.001-04:00

If you recognize that line, you probably know what's coming next.

Yeah, baby: a raspberry beret.

A week ago, this project wasn't on my mind, was no where near the horizon. Then my friend Emily from my knitting group passed on some information about a yarn store's going-out-of-business sale. Fresh off a six-month long yarn buying moratorium, I kind of lost my mind. But 40% off? COME on! I felt compelled to start working with some of the newly purchased yarn immediately, and so I did.

Details:

Pattern: Rose Red, by Ysolda Teague

Yarn: Mirasol Yarn Qina

Needles: US6/4.0mm

Started: July 16

Finished: July 17

This yarn was wonderful to work with. It's an alpaca/bamboo blend, so you can imagine how soft it is. It was so smooth with a great hand, and I love the slight fuzz. I also really enjoyed working this pattern. Like everything I've ever knit by Ysolda, it was clearly written and well edited, with both written and charted instructions. I love working crochet with diagrams, but for knitting I often prefer written directions. I find it's easier for me to keep my place, and I cannot for life of me remember all of the chart symbols.

Another neat thing about Rose Red is that it has directions for making three different sizes! I've found that most hat patterns are written in one size only, so that if you are like me and have a large head, you have to start fiddling with numbers and patterns. I can't be bothered when a pattern contains cables and leaf/lace work. Also, it's annoying to pay for something only to have to rejigger it on my own. So kudos to yo, Ysolda Teague, and thank you for another great pattern.

My plan is to mail this off to its recepient later this week. She and her family have decamped to Sweden for the sumemr, where her husband is from and where his family is. So lucky! Sweden in summer is beautiful and a little bit magical, if you ask me.

There's something else I've been meaning to share: a hexagon blanket started, and finished long ago.

Details:

Pattern: Ruby Hexagon Blanket, by Nova Seals

Yarn: many, many different and unknown worsted & DK weights

Hook: 4.5mm

Started: April 4

Finished: April 15

I was inspired to make this by my friend Jane, who crocheted a beautiful version out of sock yarn. I had neither the stash or the patience to make this out of sock yarn, but worsteds I had in abundance. Hexagons appeals to the side of me that likes geometric shapes, an attraction which goes way back. When I was in 8th grade, I had 2 twin beds in my bedroom, a la Richie Cunningham, and they were covered with matching comforters: white with a pale grey large-scale grid, on top of which were screened geometric shapes in primary colors. It felt very Samantha Baker.

But I digress.

The afghan. I haven't measured it, but it's long enough for me to cover up while lying on the couch, and I'm 5'7 3/4". My one impracticality with this project was that not all of the yarn that I used is machine washable. I would never saddle a loved one with burden like this, but forr me it's fine. I'll either hand wash, dry clean or take my chances on the gentle cycle. If it gets ruined, I can make another.

A boy's best friend is his mother

2010-07-20T10:06:00.000-04:00

At least that's what Mrs. Bates always told Norman.

I rememebr the first time I ever saw Psycho, it as a sunny Saturday afternoon when I was about 12. That it was the afternoon is significant, because it cut down dramatically on the terror and suspense which characterizes the film. It's hard to be creeped out when the sun is shining and birds are chirping and your mother's in the kitchen cleaning with Pine Sol. And while I didn't find the movie to be particularly terrifying, it was creepy, especially Norman's man-boy schtick and his creepy semi-sexual relationship with his mother. You don't have to be a Jungian psychoanlyst to know that their relationship was simply not healthy. She was controlling, he was dependent. In a word, they were too close.

Details:

Pattern: Daphne and Delilah, the Momma and Baby Monster, by Rebecca Danger

Yarn: Caron Simply Soft rites (green), Red Heart Super Saver Solids (purple)

Needles: US 5/3.75mm

Started: July 7

Finished: July 9

I started little Mother and Norman Bates right after I finished Joan and Christina Crawford. I had no recepient in mind; I was just working with an eye towards reducing my stash. As it turned out, my friend Jum needed a baby gift to send to some friends in Italy, so these guys will be headed over the Atlantic pretty soon. Jim was worried about the button eyes being a choking hazard, so I duplicate stitched the eyes inetsad. The yelow and squarish shape gives them an alien vibe, which I like. One of fun things about making toys instead of garments is that improvisation is easier and the results seldom ruinous.

In this era of helicopter parenting, folks sometimes have a hard time distinguishing where their needs end and their children's begin. Let the Bates family serve as a cautionary tale. Don't think it's possible to be "too close" with your child? Well, then, please watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8CGFF3rlSo&feature=related

It must be love

2010-07-10T17:34:00.001-04:00

I have a new love.

Pretty, right? She played a role in the adventures of my last post, but I didn't really introduce her.

I'd been thinking of getting a new bike for the past two years, but kept putting it on hold for a variety of reasons, the most significant of which was that I already had a bike. But mine was a men's model mountain bike and I wanted a ladies style cruiser: upright and cute. Then, one Saturday in April as I was walking to the farmer's market with my compost, I saw a vendor unloading vintage bikes to sell at the Brooklyn Flea. I almost panicked, I was so excited! And this was just a week before my birthday, so you know, fate. I took her for a test ride and then took her home. Thus began our romance.

But like any relationship, it's had it's ups and downs. There was a magical, misty ride to Sunset Park for dim sum with Jane and Penelope, and a sunny sojourn to meet up with my knitters on the Upper West Side. Oh! And then there was the flat (pictured above - front tire) that stopped me a mile from my apartment. It's much harder to walk a bike with a flat tire than one might expect. Just after that was fixed, we had some more serious mechanical difficulties involving my gear shift. Merrily peddling along was I when I noticed the bike wouldn't stay in gear. I was able to get it to cooperate only by manually holding the gear shift in place; no mean feat when climbing a hill. Then, while crossing the Manhattan Bridge I heard the unmistakable ping! ping! that told me bits and pieces were flying off of my ride. Turns out that bikes, like people, have history and baggage, and when you get one that's approaching 40, this baggage can present challenges. But a little patience and the help of some friends (at Gotham Bikes in TriBeCa) can do wonders, and for the past four weeks, my lady love and I have been getting along fantastically well.

She takes me to work, and this commute has changed my life. We had a heat wave last week in New York, and she brought me sweet relief from oppressively hot and subway platforms.

No longer am I relegated to steerage class on New York City Transit! The sun, the air, the vistas all make me so happy. I usually take the Manhattan Brodge, as it has far less pedestrian traffic than the Brooklyn Bridge, and so is an easier and more relaxing ride.

That't the Williamsburg Bridge in the distance. New York isn't known for it's bridges, as is my hometown of Portland, OR, but we really do have quite a few here, and they're (msostly) beautiful When crossing a bridge on foot or bicycle I think a lot about the engineering and physical efforts that went in to building it. Imagine how different our lives would be if we didn' have bridges!

Coming off the bridge on the Manhattan side, I see this man every morning. He's meditating. Right off of Canal Street. He don't mess around.

Not all of the ride is traditionally scenic; nevertheless, I find it charming. Like this here: one woman is doing morning tai chi exercises. The other is walking backwards. Hmm . . .

Here we are, under the FDR.

Over the past few years, our city government has established a lot of bike lanes. Some are painted green for high visibility and some are even separated from car traffic by physical barriers. They make riding much more fun and safe.

A view of DUMBO and Vinegar Hill, and a bit of my beloved Manhattan Bridge.

For me to go on and on like this, it must be love.

No Wire Hangers!

2010-07-05T15:59:00.000-04:00

I love long weekends. That's not exactly revelatory; I think everyone loves a long weekend. Whan I have one, I susally spend one day running errands and being terribly efficient, one day being crafty/domestic, and one day is lost. It makes for a nice balance and I come out of the weekend feeling both productive and refreshed.

Yesterday, July the 4th, was my crafty day. It was super hot outside and I don't have a pool, so I didn't mind spending the entire day inside. Besides, I had a bee on my bonet about starting and completing a project this long weekend, which made the scorcher a perfect time. Around 7 am I started digging through my stash for some yarn, and by the end of the day, I had all but sewn together these little ones:

Details:

Pattern: Daphne and Delilah, the Momma and Baby Monster, by Rebecca Danger

Yarn: unknown worsted weights (less than 70g each)

Needle: US 5/3.75mm

I've named them Joan and Christina Crawford after one of my favorite books and movies from childhood, Mommie Dearest. You've seen it, right? Vain and fading star Joan Crawford adopts a strong-willed little girl whom she names Christima. They often dress alike, at least when in public. They are rich and pretty, and everything seems perfect . . .until the cameras shut down and the fans are out of view, when Mommie Dearest's monstrous side comes out. Oh, it is a hilariously and campy classic.

When I finished stitching them up this morning, I thought the Misses Crawford eserved a visit to Coney Island, so we hopped on my bike and away we went.

They look so happy, with nary a hint of the turmoil at home! We enjoyed the boardwalk and while we didn't venture into the water today, we did have fun people watching. Our time at Coney Island was brief, however because, again, it was super warm outside. They just said 100 on the radio, which seems excessive, but it's hard to gauge when you're on a bike because of the self-created breeze.

In any event, we are happy to be home and are thinking of indulging in some of the sour cherry compote that I made yesterday, perhaps with some Greek yoghurt and a sweet drop biscuit. Care to join?

Oh, and on the off chance that you haven't seen Mommie Dearest, here's one of the original trailers. It's off the proverbial hook.

Help!

2010-06-23T09:19:00.000-04:00

I thought I could control it.

But they're multiplying!

Can't be stopped!

Details:

Pattern: Crochet Flowers and Leaves, by Lucy of Attic 24

Yarn: Drops Safran, Rowan 4-ply Cotton, Rowan Glace, Blue Sky Alpaca Skinny Cotton

Hook: 3.25mm

Vacation, all I ever wanted

2010-06-10T23:01:00.000-04:00

You'll not often hear me complain about the weather, but I kind of especially love summer. It's also my favorite time to visit my family. Some poeple like Christmas, but I think that, as get-together occasion, it's kind of awful. Airports are crowded, people are stressed, there's so much pressure. Ugh. But when I go to see my peeps during the summer, and it's invariably awesome. My family's a lot of fun in general, but it's touching how they go out of their way to show me a good time when I visit.

We like to eat and we're not opposed to bending an elbow, so this year there was a fish fry and a barbecue, several rhubarb desserts and the new Grain Belt beer.

Despite some record breaking heat (97 deg. one day, which is bonkers for Minnesota in May), I spent a lot of time outside going for runs and walks.

One ambitious day I went running in the wetlands behind my Aunt Irene's house and ended up on my great-great-great grandfather's homestead, the place where he and his family settled when they came to Minnesota from Ohio. That was pretty neat. There's a grade school and water tower there now. Could be worse (think strip mall).

Despite being there for a week and bringing THREE projects with me, I got very little knitting done.

I was having too much fun, I guess, with godsons

And friends

The feeling was mutual.

Whoa-oh, listen to the music!

2010-05-18T11:53:00.000-04:00

I'm an only child who grew up not in a musical family, but in a house that was always, always filled with music. Weekends I would wake late (I was a child nightowl), sun streaming in the house and music on the turntable. My mom would usually be cleaning, so the house often smelled lemony-fresh. My father would be sitting on the floor in front of his stereo making a mix tape.

My father was the master of mix tapes. His weren't the kind we made for our little friends and crushes in high school and college, intended to convey how we felt about that person; my father's tapes were artful and adult, with fade-ins and outs and excellent flow. They evoked a mood that was more collective than personal, more vibe than emotion. The Commodores, B.B. King, Harold Melville and the Bluenotes, Isaac Hayes, Johnny "Guitar" Watson, Rickie Lee Jones, Parliament, Earth, Wind and Fire, Smokey Robinson, Rufus with Chakha Khan, LaBelle (before Patti went out on her own), Rick James, Chic, The Doobie Brothers, Deniece Williams, The Brothers Johnson, Sugarhill Gang, ConFunkShun, Kurtis Blow, Tower of Power, early Elton John, Champagne, Kool and the Gang, Queen, Rose Royce: that was the music that filled my home as a little girl.

Not just the home, our car, too. A brown Ford Gran Torino with a sweet tape deck (also equipped with sweet equilizers; no mere "bass" and "treble" knobs for my father, uh-unh). My dad liked to go for drives on the weekend and often I would accompany him. He would nurse a Sapporo (it was legal to drink and drive back then) and I would have a Big Gulp. I remember wearing shorts, and my legs would get sweaty and stick to the hot pleather seats, but I'd try not to complain. We'd go to the drive-thru car wash and he'd vacuum the car, polish the tires. He'd stop at a little store and buy me a pack of Hostess Sno-balls. Sometimes we'd drive to the Black side of Portland where he grew up and get take out at Popeye's or Church's (we had only Kentucky Fried where we lived). When we did that, we'd inevitably run into someone my dad grew up with. All the while, his music played on the stereo.

My father and I weren't terribly close when I was growing up, but these outings were always super fun for me. I felt special, like a little sidekick.

Why am I feeling so nostalgic? Well, I recently had a birthday, so have been thinking a lot about the past. Also, as I write this, there's sun coming in my window and I'm listening to a radio program on WKCR, the Columbia University radio station (89.9 FM if you're in the area, but they stream online in you're not). The show is called Across 110th Street and features classic funk, soul and R&B; in short, it's the soundtrack to my childhood. It's amazing. I highly recommend checking it out if you are at all inclined (plus, it's nice to support independent radio).

So, like it says in my bio, my craftiness comes from the ladies in family tree, but my taste in music is all thanks to my dad.

Speaking of crafts, I've been keeping my fingers busy.

Pattern: Welsh Country Stockings, by Nancy Bush

Yarn: Cascade Heritage and Colinette Jitterbug

Needles: US 0/2.0mm & US1/2.25mm

Started: April 14

Finished: May 2

These socks were an early birthday present to myself. I had been wanting to make them for close to two years. In fact, they were the sole reason I purchased Nancy Bush's book, Folk Socks. I made some modifications, inspired by my friend Okay Knits (ravlink). As written, the pattern makes mid-calf length socks, which I feared would make me feel crazy, and I had two skeins (approx 800 meters) of the Cascasde Heritage that I'd purchased at The Point's going-out-of-business sale last spring, so I decided knee-high was the length. The Jitterbug was also purchased on sale last fall. I though the colors would go well together, which they do. However . . .they are rather close tonally, so the diamond-dot colorwork at the top is a bit obscured. I'm not too troubled, however, as I'd like to make them again. Next time I'll just pick colors that contrast more starkley.

The first sock took me 1 1/2 weeks to complete, but the second sock only took a week. I'd had all of my modifications (calf increases and decreases) figured out already, and I'm starting to get the hang of sock construction, which is nice. I felt such an intense sense of satisfasction when I finished these, that I immediatly (really, the same day) cast on for these.

Pattern: Simple Socks My Way, by Lena Gjerald

Yarn: Cascade Heritage and Koigu Premium Merino

Needles: US 0/2.0mm and US1/2.25mm

Started: May 2

Finished: May 9

I've been following Lena's blog A Wee Bit Knitty, for over a year now, and while she's Norwegian, she often posts in English. I like her spirit and her projects, so I was quite happy when she wrote up her go-to sock pattern. I made some modifications, including casting on more stitches, to accomodate my ankles and big feet (Eurropean 42s), and, for fun, worked a half-handkerchief heel, the instructions for which I found in the the Nancy Bush book. So, these were a pleasure to knit, and I learned a new constrution. The colors are a bit more rock-and-roll than my usual color pallate, but I like them.

This has been a long and wordy post, so I'll close it by coming around full circle to where it began: music. The Brothers Johnson performing one of my childhood, and current favorites, Strawberry Letter 23. Dreamy, groovy and oh so nice.

The Friends and Family Plan

2010-04-26T12:31:00.000-04:00

The past few weekends have been jam packed with fun and loved ones. First, my Aunt Anne and Uncle Leon came out from Minnesota to celebrate her birthday. He’d been here once before, for my law school graduation, but it was her first time coming to the Big Apple.

They’re both fun and relaxed people and they had done a fair amount of preparatory investigation before they arrived, had some ideas about what they wanted to do, so I didn’t have to do a ton of planning for their visit. Still, I wanted them to have a good time, so I stressed out, making back-up and double-back up contingency plans for everything we did. I wanted to be helpful, but not bossy; open, but not aimless; available, but not smothering. In short, I wanted everything to be perfect, which it pretty much was.

They saw a lot (including John Waters), and did a lot (including ice skating at Rock Center on an 80 degree evening), visited Jacques Torres (see below) and we had a bunch of fun, so yay! And I found it really touching that they would make the effort to come out here and spend time with me.

After Anne and Leon flew home to the Land of 10,000 Lakes, I laid super low for a few days, resting in anticipation of the arrival of my friend Rochelle.

We've been friends since 1986, but hadn't seen each other in five years. I knew her visit would be easy, though. I practically lived at her house our sophmore year of high school, and became quite close with her parents. We made our first college visit together, and she came to Minnesota for my college graduation. Her dad was responsible for my fall from the wagon of vegetarianism (how could I say no to that gorgeous hamburger topped with with Tillamook Cheddar?). It wouldn’t be inaccurate to say that we were like family.

As expected, she was an easy and delightful houseguest who was happy to do whatever, which was great. We went for a run in Prospect Park, ate soup dumplings at Joe's Shanghai and I got to pop in to the newly relocated and revamped Purl Soho store.

The new space combines their yarn and fabric stores under one roof, and is much bigger than the old space. It's light and white and lovely. Although she's not a knitter, Rochelle found the fibers and fabrics (she gravitated towards some beautiful Liberty of London prints) enchanting.

So did I.

I wasn't the only New Yorker who was excited to see Roach. She and Megan go back even farther than she and I do, and played soccer together for years. The three three of us spent a lovely, if chilly, afternoon together, first touring the Highline (twice in two weeks for me) with my godson, Bruno,

and then supping and drinking vino with my little friend, Margaret.

The next day I made scones and we embarked on an ambitious walking tour of inner Brooklyn. I'd never realized how many churches and public schools are in my and the surrounding neighborhoods until Rochelle pointed it out. It is kind of weird. I mean, I know that we're population dense, but it almost seems as though I live in the middle of some sort of educational and religious breeding ground. The walk ended at Nicky's Vietnamese Sandwichs, where we enjoyed spicy Bahn Mi with Sricha before scurrying back to mine to indulge in a little Jeni's Spledid Gravel Road Ice Cream. A sweet and salty end to a wonderful couple of weeks.

Too sweet to be sour, to nice to be mean

2010-04-19T20:35:00.000-04:00

I made a couple of purchases the other day.

Totally accidental, I swear.

I bought the yarn Friday afternoon at the new Purl Soho store on Broom. Their new space is beautiful and roomy, and while I wasn't intending to make a purchase, the Koigu was 40% off. And those pinks and yellows were begging to be paired with a solid and turned into a pair of striped socks. I cannot wait.

I'd also had it in my mind that I needed a pair of walking to work shoes, something cuter and zippier than my white New Balance, which give me a distinctly Working Girl vibe when paired with a work outfit, rather than running shorts as intended. So into store after store on lower Broadway we went, searching for something with the right vibe, and low and behold, we found them. The last pair, in my size, discounted by $110. Yes, all that lovely for $29.99. They're loud and crazy and intergallactic and I love them.

So: pink and orange in full effect. The heart wants what the heart wants.

On a discinctly less springy tip, I made this lovely a couple of weekends ago:

I started it the night that I returned from the mondo yarn swap and finished it the next day. The yarns are all worsteds and aran weights, so it wasn't too much work, but I did work pretty furiously. I think it was a means of coping with the overwhelming amount of yarn I found myself staring at. I wanted something that would eat up a few skeins immediately and make me feel as though I'd made a dent towards stash reduction. I'd also been wanting to make a granny square inspired shawl for a long time, so this was kind of perfect.

Details:

Pattern: 106-40 Shawl by Drops/Garn Studio

Yarn: Misasol Miski, Ístex Plötulopi, GGH Bel Air and several others

Hook: 5.0mm/H

I'd estimate that this took me 6 hours total, so not too bad. I wet blocked it, as I do with almost every thing I make, and it grew by about 10%. The fabric is neither stiff nor flaccid, so I'm happy with the tension I used. And it's the slightest but rough, but I don't mind. A little texture makes it feel old-fashioned and traditional, which I like. The colors put me in mind of both a cold Scandinavian winter morning, or a rainy Portland fall day. Cozy.

Speaking of Scandinavia, Iceland has been much in the news this week, so I thougt I would take this opportunity to remind you of what is probably that nation's most famous export. More enjoyable than volcanic ash, that's for sure.

Let The Sun Shine In!

2010-04-14T16:26:00.002-04:00

We had unusually warm weather last week in New York.

I enjoyed every minute of it. Spring may be my favorite season, although it's got a strong competetor in fall. A lot of people claim to like summer the best, but not me. What I mean is that summer's nice, but it's obvious, and in some ways a little base. As a season, it lacks subtlety. Spring, on the other hand, is fresh, dramatic, a little unpredictable, yet you know how it wil end: warmly.

One of the things that I particularly enjoy about Spring is that it affords me the opportunity to lunch outside again. For most of the late fall and winter, I eat my lunch at my desk while cruising about on the Internet, so I feel absolutely liberated when it's nice enough for me to take my lunch and sit outside.

A favorite spot of mine is the cemetery across the street from my office. It's very old (Alexander Hamilton is buried there) and is set up more like a park than most American cemeteries. It reminds me of a smaller version of Assistens Cemetery in Copenhagen, where I once enjoyed a lunch of smorrebrod after visiting the grave of Hans Christian Anderson. There are paths to wander and lots of benches on which to rest, and while it's right on a busy street in lower Manhattan, it's really green and calming.

It makes me happy that it's so well utilized, by both New Yorkers and tourists alike. The grounds keepers keep it up so well, and there are always different plants blooming and coming in to their own. Can you tell I'm a little in love?

In addition to eating and people-watching, I do a fair bit of knitting in the cemetery, including work on my most recent FO:

Details:

Pattern: Damson, by Ysolda Teague

Yarn: Okay Knits Sena & Muthoni

Needles: 3.75mm

I've got a little bit of a shawl thang goin' on. I just counted, and this is the 12th one I've made since last May. Wazzup?

(see bag of yarn purchased at Marias Garn in Stockholm last summer, lower left of photo. Oh! That was some fun shopping)

Damson is the third project that I've made from Ysolda Teague's collection of patterns, Whimsical Little Knits 2, which means that purchase was officially a good investment. One of the things that I liked about it was that it consisted primarily of garter stitch, making it a perfect project for subway riding and foreign film watching. As with Ysolda's other patterns, it was clearly written and had both charted and written out instructions. The mistakes that I made were entirely knitter's errors, and for once in my knittig career, I ripped back to fix them. I decided I've been kitting for too long now to walk about in a garment with noticeable errors, and the yarn was sticky enough that I didn't have to worry about the entire thing unravelling on my.

And about the yarn: it was an unusual color choice for me, but I won it is a yarn swap and immediately felt very, VERY possessive of it. Something about its speckled golden color made me happy (photo 1 is the most accurate representation of the color). Easy to work with, Sena is 100% superwash merino that was soft while knitting, and it fuzzed up slightly and softened even more after blocking. I'll most definitly buy more once I'm off this yarn diet. Based on other people's Ravelry notes, I knew that I wouldn't have enough of the Sena to finish the shawl, so I worked the last three rows using Muthoni, another of Okay Knits hand-dyed yarns, that was leftover from my Spring Cable socks. I'm rather pleased with the result, if I do say so myself.

Recession Shopping

2010-04-06T17:08:00.000-04:00

That's me, dressed like a milchmädchen and smiling like the village idiot. But I've good reason to be so happy: all that brand-new-to-me yarn!

Last Saturday, Yarnydays organized a yarn swap for members of our knit/crochet group. It might not sound like such a big deal, but it kind of was. She's quite organized, and so it was quite organized, which made it both easy and fun. The general idea of a yarn swap is intuitive: bring yarn and leave with different yarn, but there's really a bit more to it than that. I spent several days making piles of yarn to swap, then pulling yarn out of the pile because I thought I should keep it, then putting it back in the pile, reasoning that I'd had it for two years and it had yet to see any action, blah blah blah, so clearly I couldn't be that attached to it. I later found out I wasn't the only one suffering from that back-and-forth anxiety. It all worked out in the end, though. See:

In fact, it was a little batshit insane. We started the day with a delicious homemade Indian meal and some vino and then started swapping. We were allowed to being whole and partial skeins, although partials had to be weighed so that yardage could be estimated and proper point values assigned (1 pt for $1-$5 dollar skeins, 2 pts for $5-$10 skeins, etc.). Clear and simple, so I would recommend the scheme to anyone contemplating a swap of any sort, but it involved a bit of advance work.

Looking at and fingering all of the yarns, imagining how I might use them, was really exciting. Almost as exciting was seeing someone else fawn over one of my "discards". It felt like "Oh, you have a new home with someone who will appreciate you more than I have. Go forth and realize your potential! Fly! FLY!!!

I juts went crazy there.

Anyway, we drew names and took turns making our selections in rounds, so as to avoid the craziness that is the Barney's Warehouse Sale. It was all very civilized. And fun.

When I got up on Sunday and came upstairs to make myself some coffee, I saw the pile of new yarn, I had a really unexpected reaction. I felt a little depressed. There was just so much yarn, an embarrassment of riches, really, and when combined with the rest of my stash, I was overwhelmed. So, I sat down and sorted and bagged yarn for about 2 1/2 hours and hatched a plan that I knew would result in the immediate diminishment of my stash: I started crocheting an afghan.

The pattern is Ruby Hexagon by Novamade, and while I'm only 1/3 of the way finished, I can already tell it's going to make me very happy.

Have you seen the new Ron Jeremy?

2010-03-28T21:50:00.001-04:00

Not what you expected? Sorry. This is The Other Hedgehog, the one that's destined for a comfy life in Washington, DC at the home of my friend, Keira. We've known each other since 2nd grade, which makes her my oldest friend. Back in the day, she had a fondness for hedgehogs. Hedgehogs and Steiff bears. And clogs. And wrap skirts. But I digress. I've been wanting to make this for her since I first saw it, and thought April 1st would be the perfect occasion. Because it's her birthday. I hope she likes it. But look at him? How could she not!

Details:

Pattern: Smith, by Ysolda Teague

Yarn: Valley Yarns Valley Superwash

Needles: 3.75mm & 4.5mm

I'm not talkin' 'bout the linen

2010-03-27T12:59:00.000-04:00

And neither was he.

I grew up listening to a lot of radio in the 70s and 80s, and still have a warm spot in my heart for Lite FM music. Todd Rundgren. Janice Ian. Kenny Loggins. One of the first adult albums that I ever bought was Juice, by Juice Newton, and that Wildfire song about the horse that breaks out of its stables during a storm used to make me cry. I think Lite FM music is appealing because it's simple and straightforward, sometimes deceptively so. You're doing your thing, singing along, until one day, a friend asks "What did you just say?"

So it was with the England Dan & John Ford Coley (yeah, what the hell??) classic "I'd Really Love to See You Tonight." I was a college graduate by the time I realized the chorus wasn't:

I'm not talkin' 'bout the linen

And I don't want to change your eyes

I'd always thought the linens in question were a metaphor for something, a more permanent relationship, like how people register for linens when they get engaged. You know, like "Hey baby, I'm not talking about getting monogrammed linens or anything; I just thought we could get together tonight and, you know, enjoy that warm wind that's blowing. By the way, you've got really pretty eyes. What are they, brown?"

Turns out I was wrong, but not so far off. What he wasn't talking about was moving in, and what he didn't want to do was change her life. But that's how is goes sometimes with something simple: you can't see the forest for the trees and flub it up.

Posting's been hard lately because I've been working on some longer-term projects and so haven;t finished anything since the potholders earlier this month. One project is particularly exciting: a modern Log Cabon afghan for some frineds of mine currently living in Seattle. They both have a definite sense of aesthetics, which has made this an easier project than one might expect. I'm about one fourth of the way through the project and am really enjoying it.

The size of each square makes this a perfect portable subway project, and the simplicity of the garter stitch means I can watch foreign language films again! Note, please, that orange is overrepresented thus far because I'm trying to work through one color at a time. So, two orange and green squares, two orange and blue squares, two blue and yellow, two yellow and red, two red and purple, two purple and green and many brown and grey. One thing I haven't planned is how I'm going to piece all of the squares together. I'm not concerned about the method, but I am a bit worried about what color yarn I should use. Any thought swoudl be appreciated.

It's a beautiful, sunny and crisp day. I plan to enjoy it, and hope you do too.

Peep!

2010-03-14T17:53:00.001-04:00

My friend Lauren is a candy person. I have a sweet tooth, but I like my sugar mixed with fat or starch, like in ice cream or cake. Lauren likes the pure stuff: gummi bears, sweet-n-sours, merangue, licorice and Peeps. Oh, how she loves a Peep. She especially likes a stale Peep. I've been sending them ever year since she moved to Paris. Yes, the French may have macarons, madelines and Maison du Chocolate, but America is the home of Just Born candy and the Marshmallow Peep. And what do I have? Two knitting needles and a skein of novelty yarn:

Pattern: My own (see below)

Yarn: Patons Be Mine

Needles: 4.5mm

I found a few Peep patterns on Ravelry, but none of them were quite right, so I found a picture of a Peep online and uploaded it to microrevolt.org, which is a neato site that can convert any image into a knitter's grid. And then I started knitting. I wanted the Peep to have depth, like a real life Peep, so I knit a front and back panel and 5 stitch wide side panel, then sewed the bottom to the side, then sewed the top. I stuffed it with a natural cotton stuffing, which is sure to get hard and packed down, but I love cotton.

I haven't made many toys before, but this was fun! I mean, I knew it would be silly, so I think that took a lot of performance pressure off of me. Still, I'm really proud of how it turned out. A little wonky, like a real Peep, but sweet. And I figured it out on my own, which is unusual for me. I tend to be a pattern follower, but going commando worked out for me this time. The yarn is a weird, ribbony novelty yarn, which I don;t usually use. I lean towards natural fabrics, but nothing could have been better for a squishy Peep. It's super soft and plush feeling. Lauren will be in town next weekend, and I can't wait to surprise her with this little goofball.

Edited to add Recipe for Peep (bunny version):

Materials

Yarn: 1 skein Patons Be Mine (95 yards of bulky weight 100% nylon novelty yarn), or other similar yarn

Needles: 4.5mm (or needles 2-3 sizes smaller than generally recommended for the yarn)

Gauge: Unimportant, but the resulting fabric should be sufficiently dense that the stuffing won’t show through when Peep is stuffed.

Other: Small amount of cotton or nylon stuffing (I used Sweet Dreams 100% Cotton Stuffing, and estimate it took less than 1/20th of the bag to stuff the Peep); small amount of black yarn for Peep eyes and nose.

The Peep is knit in three pieces: front, back and side panel. Because the yarn I used was fluffy and bumpy, I knit my Peep entirely in garter stitch, and one cannot tell. If you’re using a smoother yarn, you might want to work your Peep in stockinette. Or not. It depends on your aesthetics.

Note: I worked all increases and decreases one stitch in from the end of the rows (i.e. in the 2nd stitch and the penultimate stitch) in an effort to achieve smoother edges.

Body (make 2 panels):

Cast on 15 stitches. Knit 1 row.
Increase 1 stitch at each end, every other row 3x (21 st).
Knit 8 rows straight.
Decrease 1 stitch at each end of the following row (19 st) Repeat every 3rd row, 2x (15 st).
Decrease 1 stitch at each end of the following row (13 st).
Knit 1 row straight.
Increase 1 stitch at each end of the following row. Repeat every 2nd row 2 (19 st).
Work 5 rows even.

Begin ears:
Decrease 1 stitch at each end of every row 4x (11 st).
Increase 1 stitch at each end every row 2x, then every other row 2x (19st).

Divide ears:
Knit 10 st, turn and b/o 1 st. Knit to 2nd to last stitch, increase 1 st, knit 1 st.
Knit 1 row even.
Decrease at beginning of the next row and every 2nd row until 5 st. remain. Bind off.
Return to live stitches for other ear, reverse shaping & bind off.

Side panel:
Cast on 5 stitches. Knit until side band is long enough to wrap around the entire circumference of the Peep (I knit about 12 inches, then started sewing the side panel to one of the fronts, then knit more of the side panel, then sewed more of it to the front panel, etc until I had only an inch or so more to knit on the side panel). Sew the long edge of the side panel strip to the edge of one of the Peep bodies (I used a back stitch, which was almost invisible due to the fluffy nature of my yarn; you may wish to use a tidier method if you are using smoother yarn). Sew the short ends of the side panel together to complete the side body of the Peep.

The side panel, now side body, of the Peep will be floppy and limp at this point, but have no fear! It will stand erect once stuffed (OK, I’ll try to keep it PG from here on out).

Sew eyes and nose onto second body piece using black yarn.

Repeat stitching process on second panel, making sure that the Peep’s new face is facing up. I started sewing at the bottom, where any ugliness or extra bulk caused by securing yarn ends, etc., would be less noticeable. Once you’ve sewn approx. three-fourths of the final piece to the side panel, you should begin stuffing the Peep. I tried not to overstuff, because I wanted my Peep to be a bit flat, like an actual Peep.

Continue sewing and stuffing until you have finished to your satisfaction. Weave in ends

I gotta say, it was a good day

2010-03-07T16:28:00.000-05:00

From sun up to sundown, this was a really superior day. The key may have been the 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep I gpt last night. Or maybe it was the butteed toast I made with the most delicious bread from the farmers' market. It could have been the lack of crowds at my laundromat that allowed me to sail through that hassle of a task, but it could also have been that I remembered to bring some fabric remnants and stained garments to the textile recycling booth at the farmer's market. One would not be crazy to think that my day was brightened by my brand new and freshly laundered bedding, which looks amazing on my bed and is a good step towards transforming my boudoir into a sleep haven. Also making me happy was the aroma of chicken stock simmering on my stove for five hours. Another good guess would be that I was grossly overdressed when I set out on a six mile run wearing tights, a long sleeved tee and windbreaker, beause it was 54 degrees, sunny and gorgeous! Any of these would have been enough to put a check in the Nice Day column, but all of these combined make me feel really happy and blessed.

Speaking of happy, I've a friend who's having a birthday on Monday. We've known each other since college, and have so many little, quirky things in common (including a love of Sweden and things Swedish), it's really pretty neat. When he travels (he's a travelwriter, so he travels a lot) he often brings me home a little something, which I love. I don't care if it's a magnet from the airport, I love little gifts from afar; they really say "Hey, I thought of you during my travels." I thiught it would be appropriate, then, for me to let him know that "Hey, I appreciate your friendship." So I made these for him:

Pattern:

(L) Improvised from #603 in The Encyclopedia of Kitting and Crochet Stitch Patterns

R: Clock Hotpad, by Carol Schoenfelder

Yarn: Adrafil India Cotton & Austerman Algarve Grande

Hook: 3.25mm

Alex really likes crafty things and old-fashioned things, so I think he will really appreciate these. They're doublesided, for extra protection, and 100% cotton, for easy care. It was an easy decision, making these. I've been on a bit of a potholder kick recently. It started with a swap that I joined through Ravelry. We're to make 5 potholders in the same pattern, send them to the organizers, and we'll receive 5 other potholders in return. I finished mine last week.

All variations on the Clockpad pattern, all 100% cotton. The yarns are various odds and ends I had in my stash, plus some given to me by pal Oiyi. These really are such fun to make, and dare I say practical? I know some people might not thing so, but I grew up using crochet potholders and emroidered floursack tea towels, sleeping on pillows with tatted lace edges. Make pretty things and use pretty things and your life will be the richer for it!
I've one more little project to share before heading off, totally superfluous, totally selfish and totally satisfying:

Pattern: Toast, by Leslie Friend

Yarn: Elsebeth Lavold Silky Tweed

Needles: 3.5mm & 3.75mm

I have several pair of fingerless mittens, now. Striped, multicolored and acid pink. But my wardrobe was lacking a simple, grey pair, a pair that would go with almost everything. Aside fron using a lighter weight yarn that originally called for, I made little slits for my thumb. I didn't want to make full on thumbs, as those can impede my stereotactic abilities when fishing for keys in my bag, but I was wary of going totally thumbless. The slits were a happy compromise and have proven themselves useful.

The yarn was left over from a shawl, Spring Bandit, that I made for my cousin Paula last summer. It's a lovely and light cotton, silk and wool blend, so good for spring, shich is upon us. In fact, it was too hot today to even wear these. No matter, as I know it will chill up again, and when it does, I'll be ready.

Now, because everyone should have a good day of their own, I'll leave you with this little ditty. A classic from the early 1990s by O'Shea James, although perhaps you know him by his industry name, Ice Cube. Enjoy.

I'm walking on sunshine!

2010-02-27T01:01:00.001-05:00

Oh, hello snow day, my old friend. I used to dream of you as a child, but you seldom visited us in the City of Roses. No matter, you're now making up for your formerly withholding nature.

My office was closed today due to inclement weather, so instant three-day weekend. Brooklyn is so pretty in the snow. It's almost as though the brownstones were made for this stuff.

After shoveling myself out from the 18+ inches that fell over night, I crocheted for a bit, working on some potholders I'm making for a swap, then headed into the city to meet my friends Jim and Rolando for pancakes.

February is National Pancake month and Clinton Street Bakery, possibly my favorite food spot in Manhattan, features pancake specials all month long. And I do love a good pancake. I'm almost maniacle about them. The problem with this place is that it gets mad crowded, and with today being a snowday, crowds were even more intense. I'm kind of embarassed to admit that we waited about 75 minutes for a table, but our food was so incredibly delicious, that the payoff was worth it.

My plan was to come home after pancakes and keep crocheting. What actually happened was that I took a three hour nap, 5 pm - 8 pm. It's terribly disconcerting to wake from a nap and see that it's dark outside. My first thought was that it was 6am, as it's still dark here at that time. That I was wearing street clothes is how I realized what had happened. I blame it on the Olympics; I've been staying up way too late every night watching the human drama unfold. How can one not?

But pancakes and Olympics arent; the o nly things that have been happening around here this month. No, there was also some sock knitting going on. To wit:

Pattern: Spring Cables, by Elinor Gray

Yarn: Okay Knits Muthoni

Needles: US 0/2.0mm

Started: February 1

Finished: February 11

I've been trying to knit a pair of socks for about a year and a half now, and have made several starts, but never completed one sock, let alone a pair of socks. I was understandibly excited, then, when someone from my knitting group suggested a sock-a-long for February. I started these on Feb. 1, using the US2s recommended by the pattern, but the resulting fabric was way too loose and ugly. Switching to US1s didn't help much, so I made the leap down to US0s. So, I learned the importance of swatching, and that I knit rather loosely in the round. Once I got going, the socks sailed. Cuff down, simple and straightforward with just a bit of cable and seed stitch. Fun, yet easy enough to do while standing on the subway on the way to work.

The yarn I bought from the dyer, who is a friend of mine, back in December. I had initially wanted to use it to knit a shawl, but was convinced to use it for the socks, and I'm so glad that I did. It's Bluefaced Leicester, which has long fibers that are more resistent to friction holes than many other wools. More importantly, it's really soft, making for super cozy socks. And the color is like the sun, hence the hoakey title of this post.

Hey, you! I know you! I know you!

2010-02-20T23:33:00.001-05:00

It was a sunny, warm beautiful day today, a good day for running errands. At the farmer's market I ran into my friend Matt, who was standing in line to buy Ronnybrook milk and yogurt cheese. It always makes me happy when I see a friend out and about. Two weeks ago I had a string of friend sightings on my morning runs in Prospect Park, and they made me unreasonably happy. And about a week before that, I had a super exciting sighting on the fly: Craftivore was in town and I spotted her at the Brooklyn Flea. We'd never met, but had become Ravelry friends, and I'm a great admirer of her work, esp. her colorwork. Anyway, unlike when I see someone I "actually know", I was apprehensive about approaching her, worried about seeming like a freaky-deaky stalker. I saw knit designer Ysolda Teague last summer on the Brooklyn Bridge, but didn't say anything for just that reason. But the excited part of me won out, and Craftivore couldn't have been nicer, even snapped a photo of us. It just so freaking charming and small-town to bump in to friends on the street when you live in a city of 8 million.

After seeing Matt I went to Target to return an ugly and ill fitting dress and decided to pick up a few other little things. Like I said, it was a warm day and I was feeling springy, so I bought this:

A good neutral, yet pretty color. Yeah, well, I went to put it away and found this:

So.

Well, I'm nothing if not consistent.

Oh, and the title of this post? It comes from 1980s SNL skit, featuring Harry Shearer and Martin Short as aspiring synchronized swimmers. Please watch and enjoy.

via videosift.com

Snow Day

2010-02-10T17:28:00.000-05:00

Today we had a lot of this:

So I did a bit of this:

And now, am enjoying some of this:

I love snow days!

Now we're cooking with gas!

2010-02-07T18:35:00.002-05:00

Ooo wee, look what I got:

Mmm hmm, a swift. That's right. I really, really wanted one and wasn't about to shell out the money for one, which makes this a terriffic gift. A perfect present, really. My friend Amy had ordered this for me back in December, but it was backordered, then she was swamped at work so we didn't see each other for a month. Last night, she had me over for a lovely, old fashioned dinner (roasted cauliflower with a kalamata drizzle, roasted chicken and garlic mashed potatoes) and a viewing of multiple episodes of The First 48, one of my most favorite TV shows that I never get to watch because I don't have cable. Add presents to the mix, and we're talking about a pretty, pretty great evening. Plus, I'm now set up to make more neato items, like this:

Pattern: Shroom, by Lee Wood Juvan

Yarn: Punta Yarns Merisoft Spacedyed

Needles: US9/5.5mm & US11 8.0mm

Started: January 11

Finished: January 11

I totally and completely bit this from my friend Ewephoric. She made this hat, with this yarn, in this color. There is no, I repeat no, shame in my game. When I saw her Shroom, I was so drawn to the color, which is incredibly deep and vibrant and shot through with streaks of bright. It seems to me to be a visual representation of rhubarb and cream, brightened with a squeeze of fresh lemon. Within two weeks, I had trotted myself off to Downtown Yarns in Manhattan to purchase a skein. With the yarn held doubled, I was able to whip this up this up one night after work.

Despite the lacy holes, this hat in this yarn is really toasty, and after a funky warm patch, we're back to having chilly winter weather in New York, which is good news for me and my knitwear.