sophy's knits, notes, etc.

this has been a productive knitting week and my blocking board is covered with projects. this morning, i wound up a second skein of Noro Cash Iroha for a spiral cowl i'm making:

i absolutely love the color match with the fruit!

i am very happy to be using up more of my stash. this yarn is part of a bunch that i bought a few months back during a neighborhood-wide yard sale. now, the only question is: do i want to keep this for myself or add it to my holiday gift pile? it'll be a tough decision -- i love how it looks so far.

i promised two little girls i would knit them each a poncho. what do you think of Teva Durham's fair isle hooded capelet? [on ravelry]

although i am trying to knit from my stash, i don't have any suitable yarn for this (laceweight is not ideal for quick knits here.) who's up for some yarn shopping and tea, tomorrow?!

the most disheartening email or blog comment that a fledgeling designer can receive is one requesting a copy of another designer's patterns.

i usually ignore these requests, but, i'm getting lots of emails (for serious, not just blog comments) for these braided cable socks. i feel that i should respond and discourage any further and similar requests. this is not my pattern to distribute and i do not appreciate solicitations for copies of patterns and designs that are not my own.

i don't mind when i am asked to help locate back issues of magazines in my local yarn store. i understand that some magazines just aren't distributed all over the globe. but there are other ways to get patterns. email or call different yarn stores and ask them for help. search online; a quick search just told me that there are at least 2 copies of Interweave Knits Summer 2005 available on ebay.

if you can't find it online, please contact the designer or the publisher (in this case, Interweave Press) with these requests. a designer deserves to know when his/her patterns are in high demand. and, i'm sure that the more interest a publisher receives for any design, the greater the likelihood that they will re-release it or distribute it more widely.

another recommendation i have for anyone who reads this: search for an interesting stitch pattern and make it your own. for these socks, it's just a panel of braided cables... so, if you've knit the other better-than-booties baby socks that are available for free, use that as the blue-print and be creative... have fun with it!

i hope this doesn't piss off my readers and that you will find these recommendations helpful.

happy knitting!

p.s. have you seen Stella's sock pack? Adrienne, RavID Asappa, modified 5 adult sock patterns and used a stitch pattern from a lace top to make this beautiful set of 6 baby socks.

p.p.s. if you're interested, i'm currently knitting another pair of the cabled rib baby socks with some quick mods... i'm being lazy with it because it's for a baby shower this weekend and i want to make matching baby mitts.

p.p.p.s hilary, i think you started a trend with your post-scripts. ♥

we won't move in til the end of the June, but we're homeowners now:

this cute little victorian is ours.

you can see some of the repair work has started but there are many more to do before we move in. then we'll take our time turning this house into our home.

despite all my best intentions, my updates have been rather sparse lately; i have good reasons for this... really, i do. (beyond having the death plague for the last couple of weeks...)

first, i've been trying to decide how to improve this blog. moveable type has to be one of the hardest blog platforms to maintain; i'm sure you've noticed sections of this blog that just don't work (ahem... archives...) although i've put a lot of work into customizing my templates, i'm so not a web ninja... what are my options? should i move to blogspot?

second, i've been trying to clean up some of my old patterns, especially to incorporate the various errata that many of you have reported. i finally installed LaTeX and have been working on simplifying my template. (i don't have Office or iWork on my Mac... hence, the TeX.) hopefully, you'll see updated patterns soon.

third, i've finally unearthed my digital camera. (turns out it was on a shelf just above eye-level... that's all it takes for me to miss it. sad.) you may have noticed that for the last few months i've been taking photos exclusively on my iPhone... enough is enough. don't get me wrong, the phone can take some lovely photos, if the stars are aligned just so... i want to spend some time taking better photos of some of my latest projects (and for my patterns)... please, rain do not fall this weekend.

in other news: tomorrow is the series finale of battlestar galactica. OMG.

there was a spot of sunlight this weekend, so Adam and i took the chance to wander around the city and stretch our legs a bit. along a side street, we found this:

*heart*

after i took that picture, my hands slipped and i took another:

disorienting.

i knitted quite a bit this weekend: finished off the kidsilk haze pullover, knitted more of the chunky sweater vest, and began a baby vest in tweed stripes for a newborn cousin. otherwise, it was a quiet weekend.

i love Philadelphia; it's always wonderful to visit, even when our visits are centered around family obligations. Rittenhouse Square was always the center of the city for me; i loved living within walking distance from there.

whether or not it was on the way to my destination, i used to cut through Rittenhouse Square to get everywhere in the city.

i made time to walk my old route to work, a route i used to walk every morning at 0700, and meet my buddies and former coworkers for lunch at one of our regular lunch-time haunts, For Pete's Sake. (the Mad Elk was delicious!)

wearing my tangled yoke jacket, no less!

i also met, in person finally, two people i've talked to regularly in the past year: Jennifer (ravelry) and Helen (ravelry). We (with my sister, too) shopped at Loop (passing Jennifer's baby, Nathan, around among us) then went back to Helen's place to knit and chat and drink wine and eat cheese. You can read Jennifer's post about it. make sure you admire her awesome Spiral Boot Socks!

i did buy yarn! four skeins of lace-weight yarns:

Nature's Palette wool and silk.

Isager Strik wool 1.

Isager Strik wool 1.

while at Helen's, i continued knitting the flower basket shawl, which i had started on the flight over. honestly, i could have finished this on the flight, it's such a simple knit. but, as you can see here, i hadn't even finished the first skein. currently, i'm midway through the second skein. but, i'm knitting two more friendship fingerless mitts for my cousins before i get back to my selfish projects.

finally knitting something with the lovely alpaca yarn Hilary gave me! \(^_^)/

i love Kim Hargreave's designs.

at the end of our trip, Adam and i also made quick visits to New York (mostly Brooklyn). We spent a night with friends and met their adorable baby boy. i stayed with my cousins the next night, while Adam continued on to Boston for the weekend.

oh. did i mention it was COLD in Philly and New York? i'm sure it was also cold in Boston...

since i added my handful of patterns into ravelry, i've loved seeing the variety of yarns and modifications that other knitters have made to my designs. For good or bad, i've also enjoyed reading their comments and feedback. it'll never be less than awesome that other knitters (many of whom are more talented and creative than i am) have admired my patterns enough to knit it for themselves. thank you everyone!

my favorite design, though not my favorite pattern, was born of my obsession with (1) herringbone and (2) tweed; so, i am extremely flattered and delighted to have my herringbone tweed hat included in a list of "Best Men's Hat Knitting Patterns", especially next to such awesome hats as Joko Knit's Lina and Brooklyntweed's Red Light Special.

thank you very much, Trish!

when we joined the queue on 18th and Castro Sts at 0800, it wrapped around the corner. an hour later, we made it to the door and walked inside to cast our votes. 10 minutes after that i walked back out:

ya voté!

fyi, i had a voting cheatsheet and used the touch screen voting machine, which almost everybody else was reluctant to use... now it's just a matter of waiting... waiting... waiting...

yesterday, i flirted with the idea of writing a novel, since it is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). but then, reality set in; i have a lot of holiday gifts to knit and i work as a technical writer. my current work schedule is pretty intense as it is, and especially for the rest of this year. i can see many late nights reorganizing and rewriting large chunks of an entire manual.

so, i know some friends reading this will be annoyed with me, especially if they happened to talk to me at any point yesterday when i was quite enthused about writing my [science fiction romance] novel. well, guys, i'm still going to write it (pinky swear promises); it just won't happen by the end of this month.

instead, i will unofficially join National Blog Posting Month (NaBloPoMo) and post daily. this shouldn't be too difficult since i am already behind on a number of project posts and have soo many gifts yet to knit by the end of the month.

oh, and why unofficial??? i'm lame and didn't want to sign up today. i know; maybe tomorrow...

soon to come: TWO finished Thorpe hats! and you know what?—i'm making another one!

yesterday, Erica came over to make Spam Musubi:

Erica folding the last Spam Musubi.

our plan, initially, was to make these and picnic in Delores Park. but, really, it was a very warm and sunny day; the park was packed. instead, we ate our snack (while sitting on our brand new couch) and then later walked down for ice-cream at Bi-Rite Creamery. my current favorite is their orange cardamom ice cream!

here's some more musubi:

these were the Adam-safe versions, i.e. no seafood products.

it was delicious! and lots of fun to make. i can't wait to make more; Thanksgiving is just around the corner, right? ;D

it's amazing what new furniture can do for a room.

compare this to the old furniture.

i love it—soo comfy; even my knitting approves:

tyc sprawls on the new couch.

happy friday!

i was happy yesterday when i woke up hours early because it was cold in the bedroom. i crawled out of bed and tugged the comforter out of the layers of folded wash, threw it over the bed, and climbed back in to fall asleep again. it was so comfortable, i woke up late. of course.

after lunch i decided to work outside for a bit. though it was very sunny, there was a cool breeze ruffling the pages of my notebook while i sat in the courtyard and wrote:

the sputtering wireless drove me back to my desk after an hour.

well, i just wanted to drop a quick note to show you progress on my tangled yoke cardigan (TYC). The body and two sleeves are finished:

look! look! at last—sleeves!.

i joined the body and sleeves and am currently knitting the stockinette section before the cabled yoke. it's slow going, but you expect that with almost 300 stitches, right? i'm really happy with it, to the extent that i'm carrying it around with me though my chances of finding the time to knit throughout the day are pretty minimal.

happy knitting!

since my last post, i think i might have knitted about 10 rows on the pink lace top and nothing on the fuschia wrap cardigan. (it still needs collar ribbing and finishing.) today, i'm starting another pair of baby socks when i meet up with erica and amber (and maybe hilary) at Samovar. i think i want to knit a pair with blue and white stripes...

roses from keely & joe.

as far as my distractions went, i spent much of the previous couple weeks reading Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark/Dream Hunters books. "why, oh why?", you might very well ask. (and i would not be offended.) i will have to say it was simply because they are (very) loosely based on mythology, and i'm afraid myths (and fairy tales) are a weakness. so after finishing the lot of them (none of the short stories though, and i don't care to), i switched to Edith Hamilton's Mythology.

*hearts*

i really need to spend more time writing...

...to get tired of baby socks. at least, that's what erica would have me believe:

erica: you need to write!
erica: so i can read it
erica: and stop seeing baby booties
erica: every time i check your page

she's heartless.

but, she's right; these socks have been front-page long enough.

drat, I do need to write more regularly. i just haven't had much to say lately. i am still knitting, but it definitely has been less frequently than ever before.

am i losing interest? no, i don't think so. knitting will probably stay with me for the rest of my life. but, i'm definitely distracted by other hobbies... like reading mythology (and trashy novels), writing (non-knitting related) book outlines, and (re)learning some Latin and maybe Greek...

i'll update you with my current knitting projects and even a long-delayed pattern soon. for now, here's cuteness:

Mr. Tadakichi, Erica holding Frances, and Emmy.

bbiab. promise.

it seems i don't have much to say lately. even more, i don't have pictures to show of current projects. but rest assured, there are works in progress:

Fuschia raglan mini-sweater
the mini-sweater i wanted to knit last year. three-quarter length sleeves and overlapping fronts closed with clasps. i hope to finish this in time to block and wear for the weekend. i think this will be a milestone project for me—really, i have yet to complete an adult sweater with sleeves.

Better than booties baby socks
knitting some matching mitts to the pairs of socks that i finished a couple of weeks ago. i love the cable rib and braided cable socks... i will be at a wedding in Mendocino this weekend and plan to knit more variations of these while i'm there.

at the moment, i'm completely in love with Hilary's Christmas Green Minisweater and already planning something similarish in golden yellow. she really is an amazing knitter, and so modest; everything she makes invokes this instant longing, "omg, i want to make that, too!"

otherwise, there really is nothing much going on.

so yes, by now you all know, i am an unworthy fan. on Saturday, while Se7en was due to be in Daly City, i sat in Samovar knitting the pair to this blue baby:

Saturday: chai, turmeric cake, and one baby sock.

i must admit that i did have a moment of, "what am i doing? i must go see Se7en!" but that was quickly dispersed by a google maps public transit search that told me it would take an hour to get there on muni/bart/bus. well, if you search for the event, you can find some youtube videos. it looks like he had a warm and loud (screaming fangirls omg) reception. probably above Verizon's expectations for the venue? yay!

oh and fyi, the turmeric cake is my new Samovar favorite.

erica and i spent Sunday afternoon at the Kabuki Springs and Japan Center. after realizing that we were the only two women in the onsen wearing bathing suits, we discussed some ideas for becoming more comfortable with our nakedness. Of course, a naked knitting crafting salon topped the list. but, we quickly decided that we were quite happy to be the rare bathers wearing suits.

the shiatsu was great, even better when it was over. lots of focus on my shoulders and neck. (ouch) i really did not like the neck massage. afterwards, we wandered around the mall: Kinokuniya bookstores to peruse mangas, craft magazines, and stationary. On the Bridge for lunch. Pikapika photos for silliness. Sophie's Crepes for a sweet and sticky snack.

Sunday: PikaPika photo shoot!

after that, we visited a grocery store and erica bought them out of curry (just about). then, we went home to see if the boys were finished taking apart a slingshot monkey and refitting its voicebox... they were.

monday began just like most weekend days. (hoorah for weekdays without work!) we woke and leisurely drank coffee and had breakfast... we didn't really have any plans at all. some friends invited us to join them for a drive to Carmel, but somehow, we ended up visiting a couple Napa Valley vineyards, instead. although we've lived in San Francisco for almost three years now, this was our first time at Napa. it was really an awesome afternoon!

we tasted at the Cline winery and, after some driving, the Rombauer Vineyards. we ended the trip with a visit to the Artesa Winery. by the time we got there, it was closed to visitors, but the view was stunning...

Monday: the view from Rombauer Vineyards.

we have a wedding in Mendocino in June; i'm really looking forward to the drive through Napa and Sonoma Valleys on our way there.

Adam has an article published in IEEE Security & Privacy. Yay! Even if you don't know anything about computer security or game theory, you should read it.

This weekend, Se7en is in the United States (YES!), in California (YES!!), in the Bay Area (YES!!!), but... in Daly City (OH NO!). I guess I'm just not crazy-asian-fan-girl enough to make my way out of San Francisco to see him. Though, I can't honestly say that I don't want to... I mean, I could get all my albums and singles autographed, right? I could get a photo taken with my favorite Korean singer/actor, right? I do hope he gets a warm reception... I plan to sit in Samovar (18th & Sanchez) and listen to his albums while I knit. If he's bored, he should join me. Yeah.

There has been plenty of knitting going on! Though, as you can probably guess, I haven't touched the tangled yoke cardigan since I started knitting pink and blue baby socks. And I will probably knit at least a couple more pairs of baby socks before I get back to the sweater. I love Ann Budd's pattern.

Better progress pictures soon. Happy knitting!

...apparently, I talk about knitting a alot:

make your own tweet cloud.

I was all set to post a project notes on my new scarf, but was pleasantly surprised by the delivery of birthday flowers from Jennifer:

pretty flowers... on my cluttered desk ;D

The poor delivery guy... I think I gave him quite a suspicious and threatening glare... "who is this guy and how does he know my name... oh! flowers? for me—really? awww!"

Thank you for the flowers, Jenn! Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes. And of course, happy birthday to you, Sophea! ^_^

Adam apparently has made it onto the Security Twits list. So, naturally, that made me wonder if there was a knitter twitter community out there.

Is there???

Yes! In fact, ravelry has a twitter knitters group! ...and I was feeling so knitter 2.0.

I now have a twitter account. Since Adam started using it, I thought I would give it a shot. Of course, I had to play with the CSS for about an hour before I was happy with how it looks on my blog; But, I definitely like. What do you think?

Now, you can follow along as I update from my cell phone... while knitting on the train... in a coffee shop... at home... you will know the exact moment I finish a new project... Ah! The possibilities!

According to Wikipedia, today is the day for ladies to propose to their gentlemen—Did you know that? Of course, this really doesn't concern me... On the other hand, the article also claims that marrying in a leap year is bad luck (as the Greeks believed, anyway), leading to this conversation:

me: hey, good thing we didn't get married in a leap year! ^_^
adam: um... 2004 was a leap year...
me: huh? 2004? not 2005? ^_^;
adam: !

I've had a post-a-day for this week! Though, I guess I'm cheating since there's no knitting to show at the moment. But this evening, Erica and I are having a knit-Tea party. I'll finally see her almost-completed Best Friend cardigan and I can show her my (slow moving) Retro Redux shrug.

Happiness!

Wah! I apologize to anyone who may have stopped by this weekend—Had some problems with the machine hosting this blog (and other things)... But thanks to Bryan, it's all fixed and I'm back!

If you've checked out my ravelry page, you've probably seen the new photos of the finished cat sweaters that I added this morning. I will post about them soon! (So, expect a Kitty Couture™ series in the next few days.)

Oh, and I just got home from seeing the final cut of Bladerunner at the Castro Theatre! It was great—though, I have to admit this is probably the first time I've seen it completely. And, for the first time, it all made sense. (It's Adam's ultimate favorite movie.)

And, when I got off the train in Mountain View, I walked into a tree. It was very embarrassing, but I was too busy adjusting the straps on my bag and looking for a new place to clip my iPod shuffle. The tree appeared out of nowhere. I swear.

I restarted the Angora cat sweater yet again. After comparing it to the other two cat sweaters, last night, it was definitely too big. So, while watching an episode of the Japanese drama Kimi wa Petto (because it stars Matsumoto Jun from Hana Yori Dango), I unraveled version 2. Stay tuned for pictures of version 3. ^_^

Just a short post to tell you my plans for this new year. I think I've told you before that the year will be one of the best--Maybe it's too early to tell, but I can feel it. Can't you?

Basically, my goals are to (1) get some old projects off the shelf, (2) start and finish some new projects, and (3) write more, whether it's a silly novel or new knitting patterns. More specifically:

Knitting that needs to get off the shelf, already:

• Lace-leaf pullover, by Teva Durham.
• Malt jacket, from Rowan 42.
• Adam's sweater vest, aka [dotless] Dotty, by Kaffe Fasset

• Flicca coat, by Anna Bell
• Tangled yoke cardigan, by Eunny Jang
• Gathered pullover, by Hana Jason

• At least 3 new original patterns.
• A novel I began scribbling in grade school.

I think I can do all of this. More soon!

10 Jan 2008

I just re-read my goals and realized I forgot something! I mean, I told you that not all of my goals were knitting related. Yet, here, I've only listed the knitting-related ones! (Not including this novel I've mentioned a couple times... haha)

So, a 2008 non-knitting goal:
Sew this lovely frilled dress: no. 7 frilled one-piece from Simple Chic by Machiko Kayaki, using a frumpy deep blue silk dress that I've never worn.

I've never sewn garments from scratch before, so this will probably be one of the more challenging goals for 2008. (What if I cut the pattern out wrong?!) Of course, it doesn't help that the pattern notes are in Japanese... It should be interesting.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful time!

This really has been one of the best holiday seasons I've ever had--especially since I (1) stopped spending it with my family and (2) moved across the country. There was a time when I dreaded the coming of a new year; I guess I just never felt I was ready for another one to begin. But this time, I'm looking forward to a new year full of new projects, ideas... and friends. It just can't come soon enough!

I didn't exactly wake up a happy camper this morning... The rain. Slow Muni. Running off the slow Muni through the rain to catch my train... Somehow, listening to SG Wannabe while knitting made everything better. Oh, yes!—The coffee helped.

A return to routine...

Despite the snow, wind, and ice, it was a lovely weekend. But, there is much to do now that I am back home: I absolutely must finish this green thing by the end of the week! I want to show you the selection of yarns I have for four commissioned kitty sweaters. You will be astonished—I was. Weeks ago, I bought a japanese sewing pattern book that I absolutely adore. You'll only have to see some of the dresses to know why.

I have definite plans for 2008 and at least one sewing project is in the mix of knitting projects. Stay tuned!

Plenty of snow, wind, and ice... And somewhere in the mix, I had a lovely drink of hot mulled cider with port at Shay's Pub and Wine Bar, shopped for gifts with a friend at Newbury Street, and had a delicious dinner of salmon ramen at Wagamama followed by dessert (samplings of tiramisu, molten chocolate cake, and cheesecake) and port at Finale. The weekend really should have ended with a Christmas party in Waltham. But, here we are the next day, still in New England. All thanks to more snow, wind, and ice.

We woke up this morning to whiteness blowing to-and-fro outside our hotel window. It wasn't unexpected--I mean, we had been warned of snow-fall since leaving the west coast. We met up with some friends in the lobby but decided to forgo breakfast at the hotel so that we could make our flight (which we were told was not cancelled).

Snow, from the taxi's window. Doesn't this look like an oil painting?

Ninety dollars poorer, we walked into Logan at 11:45AM to find on the monitor that our 2:35PM flight to San Francisco, via Charlotte, was indeed cancelled (no flights were leaving). We booked new flights for tomorrow morning (San Francisco, via Philadelphia) and left the airport intending to go to West Concord. (Yeah, I just wanted to play with Piglet.)

We took a bus from the airport to the subway station, caught the Blue line to Government Center, and caught the Green line to North Station. As we walked into the commuter train station, Adam checked his voicemail and learned that we had just missed a train to West Concord. Actually, we managed to miss our trains at each of the connection points. After a few phone calls and a breakfast/lunch of Dunkin' Donuts's coffee and sausage, egg, and cheese on an English muffin, we hopped back on the Green line.

Adam walking on Davis Street.

This time, we rode it past Government Center to Park Street, where we switched to the Red Line to Davis Street in Summerville.

After this morning, I think I've had my fill of snow. This was the best thing I saw all day, someplace to dry off and get warm, put up our feet, and (at least for me) knit. Oh, of course it was great to have this extra evening to relax with our friends:

Nick, Jess, and the snow.

I hear there is more snow expected for tonight... But, this time, I really hope it doesn't delay us in New England another day. I'm ready to go home.

Though really it was a short week for me, it's been a very busy and satisfying one. Now, here I am sitting in a hotel in Waltham, MA, at 1:30AM EST typing an entry quickly before my posts get any more outdated.

If you've read Hilary's blog post, you may already know that I spent a delightful Wednesday evening first knitchatting over tea at Samovar and then attending a reading and book signing at Imagiknit. Heck, even Craft Magazine has already blogged about this! (the reading, not my knitchatting)

But, yes, I am referring to Sabrina Gschwandtner and her new book, KnitKnit: Profiles + Projects from Knitting's New Wave. Here, Hilary holds up her copy:

The truth is, I knew very little about this book and had not even heard of KnitKnit, the zine. I had flipped through the book on at least one occasion, because it was eye-catching. But, as a pattern book, I wasn't really inspired to buy it--simply because there isn't much in there I would knit. (A giant fiberglass teddy bear?) However, after hearing Ms. Gschwandtner's motivations for writing the book--really, just hearing her relate her experiences with the designers/knitters/artists involved in the book in her charmingly well-spoken way as she answered questions--and reading a profile, I was persuaded. I had to have the book. And, yes, Hilary has a picture of me holding the three books I purchased, each of which Ms. Gschwandtner kindly autographed.

I actually have my copy of the book with me while I am in the Boston area this weekend. It's interesting reading. I just feel that some understanding of the knitter/designer/artist's motivations behind or intentions with a pattern or style has really helped me to appreciate the designs more. I'm so glad I went to the reading and had the chance to meet the author. This is a book I will treasure amongst my [too many] knitting pattern-type books. Though, I still doubt I'll knit much from the book--Anna Bell's Bridie was already in my [mental] queue since I saw her post pictures of it on her blog last year.

Speaking of Anna Bell's patterns, I'm glad Hilary isn't annoyed with me for calling attention to her working project, Flicca. She had just shown it to me while we were at Samovar, and really, how could she not show off her amazing knit-manship.

I didn't notice until I uploaded the picture that my index finger was smeared across the bottom right corner. But, hopefully, people pay more attention to Ms. Gschwandtner, Hilary, and flicca. Ah, but the Craft article has a much better picture of this from another angle.

Also, another pleasant part of the evening was that I had the chance to talk to [one of?] the owner(s) of Imagiknit--a nice chat over the Manos del Uruguay woven blankets and scarves on display. (I love LOVE the plaid blanket and deep purple shawl.) More often then not, on my [frequent] visits to the shop, there is just no time to chat. And, well, I'm just glad that I had the opportunity to do so.

Ah. It's 2:15AM EST, now. Tomorrow, I will be shopping in Harvard Square with a friend for luxury yarns to knit sweaters for a naked cat.

At least one person has mentioned a problem with downloading and printing one of my patterns in PDF format. Please let me know if you are having problems with any of the patterns, as well. I don't know what is causing this particular issue; but, if it persists, I can at least upload new files.

I hope to have the Herringbone Tweed hat pattern available for download before the week is out (which may not happen if I have to work overtime). After that, you probably won't hear too much from me as I devote more time to a couple of special holiday gifts.

Happy knitting, everyone!

I found them!!! They were indeed forgotten—But, luckily, I only left them in the bottom of an infrequently used tote bag.

YAY!

I've suspected for some time that this may have happened. And in all honestly, I am pretty irresponsible when it comes to leaving my things where I am bound to forget them. It's very likely that I've done just that with my dear endpaper mitts: set them down, perhaps on Caltrain or some dark corner of a pub, and left them.

I'll do a more thorough search when I get home... But really, if it's not to be found in its usual haunts about the apartment, I'm quite sure it's not to be found at all.

Alas, I've thought about knitting another pair for some time, only I would use a herringbone motif. And really, the yarn I used for my herringbone tweed hat was going to be just that--But, at the time, I had no idea I would possibly need to replace my endpaper mitts so soon! Who could ever imagine such a tragedy?

I just noticed that Brandy of the purl parables has recently posted a herringbone mitt design. They are awesome!

I truly do *heart* herringbone. But...

...my endpaper mitts. *cry*

There's no helping it, I'm behind on all my knitting projects. Even a cat sweater, that should have taken no more than 2-3 days of leisurely knitting, is fast approaching the end of its second week.

I'm behind on all my writing projects: the patterns, the novel, and yes--this blog.

Thanks a lot, Super-cold.

That's me and writing this weekend. ;D I haven't posted in a while, so I wanted to give you a mini list of my weekend plans:

First, I intend to complete the pattern write-ups for the Tasseled hat and Herringbone Tweed hat. They're not difficult projects; I just haven't had the opportunity to write the instructions.

Second, a friend reminded me that November is National Novel Writing Month. How awesome is that? Perhaps this is a little known fact, but ever since I was in grade school, I have wanted to write a fantasy novel... And, I'm not quite sure why, but late last month, I was compelled to just start writing a chapter. Haha. It's still only one chapter and I doubt I'll finish it in a month, but, the more I plan and think about my tale, the more fun I'm having. I hope I can get some more pages done this weekend.

Third, I've finally started the third cat sweater, which I am no longer calling Fern. Fern, was originally going to be a lace-leaf patterned green sweater. But, I was having trouble deciding on a pattern. Now, not wanting to waste more time, I've ditched the lace-leaf idea. Winter is coming and I want to keep the naked cat warm; so, her third sweater is a dragon scaly sweater, knit bottom-up and in the round. Perhaps I should call it Dragon?

I'm off!

It seems that all my pictures (I wish there was more to show) were taken on Friday. Here's what we did that day...

We woke up later than we had wanted, though pretty early for us. It was raining. We were to have breakfasted with a friend, but it's just as well that he forgot all about it—we would not have met up in time. Instead we met up with other friends and had brunch at Sabrina's Cafe's new location. Adam had scrapple:

Gross.

After brunch and on the way back to where we were staying, we received a call from more friends who had just arrived. We met with them, accompanied them during their lunch, walked in the rain, bought umbrellas, walked in the rain some more, and then finally stopped in a coffee shop where we could chat and dry off... and knit:

Afterwards we walked around in the rain some more. Well, I think we made it as far as seven blocks before we all decided that we had had enough. We went back to our friend's place (where we were staying) and had a Wii-party.

Much later, after changing into dry socks, playing WiiSports, and eating a small dinner, we walked to the Best Western hotel for the Pumpcon meet up. I love Philadelphia's downtown/center city area, my old neighborhood. We walked up 18th Street, from Walnut Street to the Parkway, passing Logan Circle where I took a quick snapshot:

Did I mention that it was still raining?

Well, Friday night was fun. Saturday was Pumpcon. Now, Sunday, begins our family-time visits. It's good to be back in Philly. There's never enough time to spend with everyone we want to see.

I have been sleeving away on Adam's sweater, as I promised I would. I finally found a method to stand by: in-the-round. Yes, basically, full-circle to my first attempt at the sleeves. Just this time, one-at-a-time will do nicely. I'll have more to say when I can show you some pictures of finished sleeves. (I must remain optimistic!)

Yesterday, I picked up a copy of Interweave Knits Holiday Gifts 2007. I LOVE LOVE the Koolhaas hat. I love it more after seeing the designer's pictures on his blog—I just have to make it for Adam!

And of course, because I am making that for Adam, I need a(nother) hat for myself! His and Her hats!!! I think I will go with the cabled Shedir hat by Jenna Wilson, from Knitty's Fall '04 Surprise... I first came across this hat on Eunny's blog. And, since then, there have been so many lovely versions... I think it will have to be made with the 4 skeins of plummy Yorkshire Tweed 4ply from this bunch, here:

Yesterday, as well, I saw Marnie's newest pattern, Giselle. Beautiful photos for a beautiful garment! Don't you agree? I don't think it will look nearly as lovely on me, so I probably won't make it; But I thought I'd pass it along to all who might not have seen it!

While I've been trying to figure out how to do the sleeves for Adam's sweater, I've also casted about for a sewing project... And I think I've decided to take up Quilting. I have seen some stunning quilts on many blogs: Yai-Ann, Craftzine, and the Purl Bee... And I've really wanted to make one.

 

Of course I know nothing about quilting and haven't used a sewing machine since I was in high school... (Not even the one I bought earlier this year!) Would anyone recommend Joelle Hoverson's Last-Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts for a beginner? I thought her previous book, Last-Minute Knitted Gifts, was filled with very simple and universal projects. I don't actually have my own copy, since most of my friends have it in their library. But, there are times when I think perhaps I should just buy one...

Ahh, LMKG... Don't you think the hourglass sweater (here's Hilary's lovely version) would be perfect for a Star Trek uniform? You could knit the body longer, shaping the skirt to have a little flare... Making it reach mid-thigh in length. Adding slits to the sides, maybe? You know, the mini-skirted Star Trek variety of uniform that Uhura wore?

Wow. Hrm. I think I've just rambled away from whatever purpose I might have had to begin this post... ;D

Updates soon!

Though, not because I haven't been knitting. If anything, I've been knitting a lot, really, in my efforts to just work my way through the sleeves for Adam's sweater. No picture's yet, I do apologize. I may need to do a bit of surgery on the one sleeve—Re-knit the beginning 16 rows and graft it to the rest of the sleeve, then cut out the old beginning. I'll tell you more about it later.

I did finish my Silky Wool sweater vest and should have pictures and project notes up soon.

The only pictures I have to show you really, are my haircut:

I took this in the bathroom of the hair salon, while waiting for Adam's haircut to finish. We were heading to the gym directly afterwards, so really, it will never look that nice again. This may be backwards but, I love having short hair in the winter when I can fit it under a hat or just have the chill winds blowing through it. I prefer having longer hair in the summer when I can keep it in a ponytail, braid it, or roll it into a bun away from my neck.

I think I may end up going back soon to get it cut shorter and more layered. I don't spend any time styling my hair (towel-dry, quick comb through, shake, and go!) and this cut needs some effort.

More knitting related news soon!

Today's gloominess is very much in tune with my own state of being... Just about everyone else in my office was sick a week ago. I thought I was lucky, but in the end, it's caught up to me. So, here I am at home, on my couch, writing this up quickly before I throw in my comfort movie, Bend it Like Beckham, make some peppermint tea, and finish knitting my sweater vest.

I took some more pictures of the Embossed Leaves socks my sister gave me and progress on the sweater vest (back is finished, front is almost finished). But, the camera batteries are low and I can't seem to download the pictures. If the sun comes out tomorrow, maybe I'll just retake the pictures and include a finished sweater vest!

More soon.

Wow. Interweave Knits no longer has copies of their Fall 2007 issue in stock. Is that a testament to knitters' curiosity and expectations for the new editor?

Whatever it is, I think that now is a very bad time for Vogue Knitting to have technical difficulties with their website.

Ah, the chill of autumn and oncoming winter is already in the air. Of course, since it doesn't really get much colder than 50 degrees in San Francisco, this just means that summer is over. I don't know about you, but I suddenly feel a drive to work on sweaters and cardigans, again.

This comes after a weekend of feeling wholly unmotivated to knit Adam's sweater or crochet my jacket. In fact, the only thing I finished this weekend was the second cat sweater, Chic. And, that still needs to be blocked and seamed.

However, I should warn you that for the next couple of weeks (and I hope no more than that) I will probably have few updates or posts. There are a few things I've put off for far too long, now, and just can't let them sit any longer.

I've noticed that my patterns do not print out very well in this blog layout. So, I want to spend some time editing them and compiling them into pdfs for prettier printing. I'm just not quite sure what I should use: I don't have FrameMaker and I don't want to use Word. My other option is LaTeX, which I haven't really used in about a year—So, we'll see.

Otherwise, I will be occupied with actually doing something with my webpage. I guess it's time I expanded my web design and programming skills... haha

A few months ago, I bought this cropped sweater. It was heavily discounted and therefore I thought worth it, even though I didn't think I looked particularly great in it and the first thing I wanted to do the moment I took it home was remove the pockets.

I might have worn it once or twice before I proceeded to unravel the seams that held the pockets to the cabled ribs. But, as you can see, my attempt was not altogether successful. The threads are so tiny, I had to cross my eyes to focus, and succeeded in slashing one wrong loop. It should come as no surprise that, owing to my frustration and disgust for actually allowing that to happen, I threw the garment into a basket in my closet.

I'd completely forgotten about this sweater until this morning, when I found it as I was gathering our laundry. The instant I pulled it out, I decided what I must make with the Silky Wool—A cropped cardigan. It wouldn't be exactly this. No. Definitely not.

Do you think five skeins will be sufficient for such a cropped sweater? I would want the sleeves to be longer, at least to my elbow. Double breasted? Shawl collar? So many details... Although I have many things I need to finish before I start, I'm just happy to have a plan for the yarn.

Of course, I took up where I left off the task of removing the pockets. You would not believe the ease with which I accomplished this. Upon closer inspection of the seams, I simply slashed one loop in the back, and from that, neatly unraveled the rest of the seam that held the swatch of fabric to the sweater. The second pocket went even quicker: one snip and I pulled the entire seam apart. (Really, that's how all seams should be!) As for the hole, I just quickly stitched it up and closed it. It's not really noticeable at all, almost invisible. The entire process took about five minutes... I'm wearing it now, as I type.

And, because I'm really quite excited about my progress on Adam's sweater, I have to show you a picture. (Darn! I should have taken it on something blue... haha.)

I've just finished the third buttonhole... which doesn't show up so well in this photo... You can see markers for the button and buttonhole bands. There are also markers to identify the underarm stitches. I should have stretched it out a little more... The body is knitted in 3×1 ribbing all around, and the bands are 1×1 with slipped stitch edges. Pretty nifty, don't you think?

Usually, anything that happens before my first cup is not a pleasant tale for telling. But, this morning, while I was drooling over the pastries, Adam was approached by another Happy Donuts customer, who asked to take a picture of the cDc logo on Adam's R.E.Load messenger bag and the slogan "I'd rather be killing zombies" on Adam's Cloudmark sweatshirt. Then, he mentioned that he was just at the Star Trek Convention that was in Vegas last week. How cool is that? Too bad I didn't have my Star Trek pin this morning. (Yeah, I know, it's not like I had anything to do with these events, but still... It made me happy this morning.)

A quick update on current knitting: One pair of Simple Shoes waiting to be seamed. I should be able to send it out tomorrow. I started a second pair, re-sized for a little girl who's having her first birthday in two weeks. She's just starting to hold herself up and take some steps, so I thought a soft pair of shoes would be great for romping around. (She seems to like to go barefoot!)

Ah. Vegas. I would never pick the city for a vacation getaway, but I'm glad I went there once. The view from The MIX, the 64th floor of Mandalay Bay hotel, made it look almost pretty.

It was hot and dry. I was getting over a cold when I arrived on Thursday evening and had time only to meet Adam at the hotel and change out of travel wear before we headed out to two parties. The first was at Mandalay Bay and the second (Microsoft) was at Pure nightclub.

Blackhat was already over (except for the parties) after I had landed. I wish I could say that I enjoyed the talks at Defcon... I probably would have because there were plenty of interesting speakers, but, I just didn't sit in on any. Instead, I spent my time there walking between rooms (so many rooms and such long hallways) and really just socializing. It was great to see so many people—In fact, there are some people who live in San Francisco whom we never see except at cons across the country.

And, of course, I paid my dues... When I got tired of wandering around, I dragged Adam to join some friends with yards of margaritas... It was pretty ridiculous, really. Afterwards, they taught me how to play some nickel slots. I even won some money!

The next day, we went to the Star Trek Experience and The Gun Store. We had lunch at Quarks Bar. Their menu is cute: Flaming Ribs of Targ, Deanna Troi's Chocolate Obsession. The Star Trek museum was NERD-tastic. I could have spent hours reading their time-line. It was so much fun to see how they sorted out all the different shows and events. As you can see, I spent alot of time ogling their costumes and props. I also bought Starfleet Academy t-shirts for myself and my sister. Adam stopped me from getting the sweat pants and sweatshirt—Hey, of all the things people wear emblazoned across their asses, I thought "Starfleet Academy" would be rather awesome. Maybe next year.

The Borg Invasion was fun; but, we kind of felt tricked into going on the ride. Lunch at Quark's Bar gives you discounts for the museum and rides, but not for just the museum. I'm not complaining, though. The ride was worth it. As the story goes, you're test subjects at Copernicus Station for Operation Resistance, which is lead by Voyager's doctor and works to find a cure/resistance for Borg assimilation. Of course, the Borg attack and you have to run around the station to avoid them and get to the shuttlepod. The shuttlepod is then dragged into the Borg Cube where you meet the Queen and a bunch of flying insectoid Borgs. But, before you can be assimilated, Voyager and the doctor save the day. Yay!

There was a young child with our group... I thought the 3D would have been a bit traumatizing for a kid. I know I would have been a wreck at the point where the Borg Queen is about to assimilate us all. Everybody jumped. I almost fell out of my chair laughing afterwards. Too bad we didn't have time for the Klingon Encounter. (I think that's what it was called...)

Later that afternoon, with time on our hands, Adam dragged us to the Gun Store to shoot some AK-74s. I don't understand the fascination with guns, really. And I can't say that I had a great time. It was different. I did not enjoy my glasses slipping down my nose each time I tried to sight and aim. It was loud.

The next couple of days passed in a blur. I was ready to come back home. We had a great dinner in the Venetian with two friends from our hometown of Philadelphia. And, though we planned on going to Quark's Bar for that Warp Core Breach, it was too late after dinner.

Very little knitting was done. I even attempted to sit by the pool one afternoon. But, after ten minutes, my skin cells were protesting. Seriously, I could hear them screaming. I went inside and changed and discovered tan lines. TEN MINUTES and I had some wicked (not cool) tan lines.

I'm very glad to be home and back to knitting. Current project: Waterlily tank. Halfway done. Updates soon!

OMG—It's so good to be home.

Las Vegas was both better than I expected it to be and just miserable. I'm sure I had fun only because I ran into so many friends who were there for Blackhat and Defcon. But, it was hot and crowded. And, ten minutes by the pool gave me tan lines.

We did go through the Star Trek Experience and I bought a Starfleet Academy t-shirt for myself and my sister. We saw a Ferengi as we ate lunch at Quark's Bar. I did not have a Warp Core Breach, however. Even in Vegas, 11AM is entirely too early to start drinking. The museum is awesome. The "Borg Invasion" ride (I think that's what it was called?) was also surprisingly fun. And, apparently the Star Trek Convention began today. In previous years, the three conventions coincided on the same weekend. Can you just picture it? Hackers and Klingons and Vulcans traipsing through the casinos? Maybe next year.

I'm very happy to be back home though—catching up on emails and rss feeds... And finding in my mailbox: Interweave Knits Fall 2007, Rowan 42, and Classic Elite Uptown Knitting. Yay!

Such a backlog of things I want to post... More pictures and updates soon!

This weekend, our Wii arrived. Let's just say, Adam and I stayed home and played Zelda on both days... Lots of fun (when Adam relinquishes the wiimote)!

Maybe I haven't paid much attention to the last few Zelda games, but this one seemed very unique. The plot/storyline developments (so far) were completely unexpected. I have no idea what is going to happen next.

The black shadowy creatures you fight throughout bring to mind the beings you encountered in the Kingdom Hearts universe...

I like the look of this layout very much, so much in fact that I copied it from my husband, Adam's blog. He is more minimalist than I am, though. I have some ideas to personalize this layout a little more. Hopefully, I can soon find time to snap those pictures and photoshop away...