I'm not bad... I just knit that way.

2011 Round Up!

2012-01-01T20:35:00.000-08:00

2011 has drawn to a close. In a flash another year extinguished. Reminiscing on the past has caused me to clear out the cobwebs from this blog. Not to mention my brain, as last night's celebrations are a little hazy in the bright blue of this spanking new year, and really think about what 2012 will be for me.

So many have used this medium far, far better than I. For quite a while I felt that if I couldn't contribute in an ultimate meaningful way then why should I bother? But people blog for all sorts of reasons, even if twitter has made macro-blogging unfashionable, and they aren't necessarily changing the world. So why was I setting the standards so high for myself? Sometimes I can be so self-judge-y.

So bear with me as I get my typing fingers back in gear.

For me, I realized blogging helps keep the fogginess of time at bay from erasing important memories and feelings of events - insignificant, small and sometimes large. And my favorite of all my post is the Year In Review. What better way to jump back in then to share more info in one blog post then I have in over 2 years? Go big or go home mentality much? Probably. Time for that beverage of choice, gentle readers.

January: I started the year the second sickest I've ever been. Paul's b-day and NYE celebrations are moved to January 22nd. I make ice cream for the first time. People find it delicious and I'm hooked on a not-so-healthy additional kitchen skill. I get called for jury duty. Side note: make sure your work AND personal calendars are updated if you are called for jury duty. Because if you don't that is when you'll actually be called to sit in the jury box and you look like a fool when you have to go to the judge and say what an idiot you are. He just might interpret that as you just don't want to do you civic duty and will require you to come back for jury duty in six months when really you're just an idiot. Not saying that happened to me. Actually it did. Never mind. Be warned!

February: I was on the frequent flyer list here! Headed to North Carolina for my Dad's 70th birthday mid-month. It was one of those things that started out as a comment from one of the siblings saying, "Hey, we should all fly in for dad's b-day as a surprise" that turned into an open invitation on facebook to everyone causing panic and confusion. Needless to say my mom stepped in and ended up throwing a great party at one of my favorite restaurants in their town. What was weird was that it was the first time I had seen all my other siblings since... who knows? A Thanksgiving many, many years back probably. It went much better than expected. However it was not without a few surprises. I was thankful that Paul was there. At the end of the month, Paul and I flew to Ottawa for his dad's 80th b-day. The weather was awful and the rental car did not have snow tires so we found ourselves not stopping for stop signs (not because we wanted to) as we headed to his sister's cottage in Quebec. The amount of snow was unreal, at least to me. And it was a bit stressful. But we survived. Elena starts to have health problems. We bring her to the vet and we get inconclusive but not great news.

March: Because of Elena's poor heath her coat become a matted mess. We have her shaved and I regret it immediately. Her poor scrawny body all shaved and her head and legs all fluffy. She now looks like she is wearing UGG boots. I try not to laugh because it is so pathetic. I try to get her to wear a tiny dog sweater but she would have nothing to do with it. We end up buying her a heating pad that she can lie on all the time. Nadia and Michelle come for a kick-ass visit. Being a tour guide is one of my favorite things! The atmosphere at work start getting nerve-wracking. My boss is laid off and my department gets merged with another. The end days are coming for those of us who remain from my department, we just don't know when.

April: I go to the Big Easy to visit a SF friend who is working out there. The trip rocks. I eat amazing food, see fantastic and freaky sites and I take over 400 photos (but only share 71). The French Quarter Festival introduces me to Trombone Shorty, the Honey Island Swamp Band and more brass bands than I can shake a stick at. Holy cow! I forgot how much travel happened at the beginning of the year. An old high school friend is in town for his wife's work. We meet up and have a fantastic time. He hasn't changed a bit.

May: A relatively quiet month. We take Elena for another vet visit. Still nothing conclusive. I see my first Youth Poetry Slam competition. My mind is blown!

June: Paul and I celebrate 9 years of mawwaige. We see Pink Martini live, accompanied by the SF Symphony at Davies Symphony Hall. Nothing like seeing a crowd samba-ing to the encore song of "Brazil" in the aisles of a normally staid venue.

July: I see Gillian Welch, Casablanca with live accompaniment by the SF Symphony, the SF Symphony at Stern Grove. (Clearly I like the SF Symphony!) My friend returns from New Orleans and begins hosting red beans and rice nights.

August: I attend Stitch'n'Pitch at ATT Park with the knittas. Dr. Glenna is in town and we get our mac'n'cheese on in Oakland. I see the Gertrude Stein Exhibit at the SFMOMA and am amazed by the sheer mass of the collection. I sign up for a Get To Know Your Digital Camera course and immediately learn how to use my camera in a different way. I finally get serious about the fact that I'm probably going to be downsized and start focusing on updating my resume and if there might be another role that I could fill within the company. Paul throws an amazing birthday party for me, a Southern-style picnic brunch complete with fried chicken and a southern inspired cocktail (that was too easy to drink). Another old friend, who lives very far away, comes to town with her new beau; we catch up over delicious food and beer. I'm saddened by the fact that I don't see her more often. My red beans and rice friend celebrates her 40th b-day and divorce finalization by selling her engagement ring and treating her family and friends to a cooking party at Cavallo Point. Sadly the zeppelin she wanted to rent was not available but I think the party made up for the fact.

September: This was mostly a downer of a month. The ax was finally dropped in regards to my job. Although I knew it was coming, I was a little taken aback. I was in the process of pitching a different postion, as there seemed to be a business need and I felt like the perfect person to fill it, to the powers that be. The word I was getting was that they agreed. Clearly they didn't. Admittedly, the next day I was pretty elated and excited about the future. I felt free and the inspired. I decided that 2012 is going to be my year. I start working on my future. Thinking about what I really wanted to do and coming up with some clear options that didn't suck. I decided that I am pretty awesome. Elena's health starts to deteriorate rapidly. I come home to find her in a place I've never seen her before. She is so weak. I call Paul, who is playing pool with his regular Tuesday night group, that an emergency vet visit is needed. We end up having to make the decision to let her go. It was the hardest decision I had to make in my life thus far. Paul and I cry over this flickr set.

October: Being a bit of blur, October was spent preparing for unemployment and life without Elena. However I do pick up a part-time freelance gig.

November: Also a bit of blur. Adjusting to being at home is difficult, time management-wise. The internet is truly a time suck. The part-time freelance gig scope grows a bit. Thanksgiving is one of the best I've celebrated. We cook a Turducken (from Cajun Pacific) and friends come with more delicious food than could have been dreamed of. And thanks to the power of the twitter, we had an orphan from Australia who happened to be in town for a work seminar join us for her first ever American Thanksgiving. She was a member of the clean plate club. The next day I woke up with one of the worst colds I've ever had. I'm not as sick as I was at the beginning of the year but I'm pretty close. With this round, I sounded like a 90-year old, 3-pack a day phlegm monster for what felt like forever.

December: Still a bit of a blur with the holidays. The month flies. I do take part in Indigodragonfly's Giftapalooza. I see Trombone Shorty at the Fillmore. I take an intro to Charcuterie making at Pot and Pantry which makes me want to make my own bacon immediately. I do my first webinar to learn about passive (corporate) recruiting on LinkedIn. The part-time freelance gig grows bigger in scope and I'm starting the new year knowing my resume will have new skills to show for my effort. Paul and I celebrate Christmas alone. Not surprisingly we cook as if we're going to feed an army. We prepare duck and make ravioli for the first time. Both are incredibly successful and delicious. We create a barrel full of duck stock.

And of course, there was knitting! Not as much as I would have liked but I was very happy with what was produced.

1. Community Baby Blanket for Kerri, 2. Yvaine by Liz Abinante, 3. Rikke Hat by Sarah Young, 4. Pretty Maids by Joyce Fassbender, 5. Trellis by Britta Stolfus Rueschhoff, 6. Saltwater Taffy Baby Cardigan by Adrienne Hicks, 7. Diagonal Lace Socks by Wendy D. Johnson, 8. , 9. Polaris by Susanna IC, 10. Saltwater Taffy Baby Cardigan by Adrienne Hicks, 11. Dunes by Gena Wich, 12. Mitered Mittens by Elizabeth Zimmermann

Created with fd's Flickr Toys

So what about 2012? Well, the themes that ran through last year were food, entertainment and traveling. Not bad themes to keep in mind for 2012. This year is going to be a big one for me - I will be celebrating my 10th wedding anniversary and I'll be turning the big four-0. So who knows what will happen but I'm going to try and pull something interesting off. I also want to really prepare for my future career. I want to find a job that I'm happy about going to on a daily basis. Because dragging one's ass to a job that they know they're going to lose one day in an environment that is less than ideal is the pits. And I mean that. And I'll drink to that.

My first FO since the dawn of time...

2010-01-28T13:52:00.000-08:00

Yes, I'm being a bit sarcastic. But in all seriousness, the last time I posted about an FO waaaaas... ummmm... hmm...

May of 2009.

May. Of '09? Really??!

Really.

I guess that shows how I was feeling in 2009 because I had many-a bad boy flying off the needles since that post. I will also blame Ravelry. Because it has kinda made me lazy. I blame them mostly because they are not here to defend themselves and fully taking responsibility for my laziness doesn't seem right. However the whole thing about me being lazy is pretty darned true.

Excuses aside, this FO has been years in the making. Yarn was bought as a kit at Rhinebeck in 2007. The kit I bought was two skeins short, so I ordered two more skeins as fast as I could. Not sure when I started knitting in 2008 but by January of 2009 I had this:

I was probably 75% done with it and then I came to that realization that one never wants to come to. I knew in the deep recesses of my heart that I was never going to wear this. So I riiiipped. And then immediately cast on for what I thought was going to be a kick-ass, fairly straightforward and easy sweater. But did I do a gauge swatch? Noooooooooo. I thought, "Why do something as silly as that?" No surprise that the new sweater was too small. In addition, I couldn't get the cable/increase combo down so it was a bit of disaster. So I riiiipped again and promptly stuffed the yarn back in the closet so I wouldn't think about it any more.

Fast forward to December 2009. After a year of small projects, I decide that 2010 would be the Year of Sweater and every sweater made will be for me. I decided that if I'm going to kick this sweater year off right then I am going to kick it right in the groin. I yelled out to no one in particular, "YOU WILL NOT CRUSH ME!!1!" Immediately, I whipped out the yarn that had given me so much trouble and did a gauge swatch. Then I copied the pattern from the web into a Word doc and rearranged things so I could cable and increase at the same time without any tears. Then I was off. Like lightening! Like a cheap toupee!! I knit like a madwoman. I admired what I completed and glared at the small pile of yarn cakes I had left. "OMGNOES... I am going to run out of yaaaaaaaaaaarn." I just kept knitting as if the faster I knit the more yarn I will end up with. (We've all been there. Don't deny it!) Then to my horror (the horror!) I discovered one of my skeins was spun at a thinner gauge then the rest. It was spun so much thinner that I had to double it to be the same gauge as the rest. Now there was no way I had enough yarn. I ordered a new skein which, no surprise with it being over two years later, ended up being a totally different color. I trudged on, grumbling, cussing and shaking my fists. Telling myself over and over that maybe I shouldn't knit this, or any, sweater because clearly knitting is stupid and I'm a big dummyhead.

Then the skies cleared, angels sang and I had a sweater. With too much yarn to spare. Like almost a whole skein. Not including the one bought in a panic.

The End.

AMUSED AT MYSELF...
Started: Dec 29, 2009
Completed: January 24, 2010
Pattern: Amused by Jordana Paige
Yarn: Morehouse Farm Merino Merino 3-Strand
Color: Brown Heather
Skeins: 7.3
Needles: 6 mm/US 10 Knitpicks Options
Ravelry deets here.

Betty Sitting!

2010-01-15T11:04:00.000-08:00

Betty is staying with us for the weekend. She has already made herself at home.

We are already putty in her paw.

Mah 'hood!

2010-01-07T09:15:00.000-08:00

A short article about my street. Nice to get props in the paper!

2009 Round up!

2010-01-04T22:18:00.000-08:00

So 2009, you tried to make me pretty miserable and you mostly succeeded. My emotional state during your time was low and I found that I didn't blog that much. I kept telling myself, "Who wants to hear about THAT?" So thanks to you I did a lot of negative self-editing that I'm sure didn't help. Sometimes one needs a frowny-faced navel-gazing year and I guess this is how I will remember you.

But you couldn't have been all bad! This is probably going to be one of those wordy posts that you haven't seen from me in a while, soooooo get a snack and a stiff drink.

January: I start the year by going brunette. I jump into exercising. Work is busy but good. Ravelry introduced me to the Personal Sock Club and I jump in feet first (har-har!). I attempt my first short row heel and I dominate. I find my groove with the Tuesday knit night.

February: I catch the Death Cold and I knit through it. A man, who stabbed an off-duty police officer, gets arrested on my street and I witness it. I have a job interview for a place I would have loved to work but I fail to sell them on my amazing talents. They decide to hire someone else. I'm sad.

March: Starbucks took away my favorite bran muffin but the internet saved me. I head up to Tahoe for a girl's weekend. Because of a record snow drop, we almost get stuck on Donner Pass (yes, that Donner Pass), have issues with snow chains and traffic, resulting in a four hour trip taking over 8 hours. I kick ass and take names on the FO front with 5 projects already completed. February Lady Sweater puts me in a trance. I cook up a storm with mixed success - chocolate chip muffins are a disaster but the Indian feast was pretty much a success.

April: This month passed with not a significant note on the blog. I train to be a NERT. I plan a trip to Toronto and that makes me happy. However, that doesn't last long. My Grandmother's health begins to fail and my mother, not surprisingly, has a hard time dealing. I feel far away and small against the emotional waves that crash against me. To deal, I begin my secret X-Mas knitting. I stop exercising.

May: I continue to focus on knitting with 3 more FOs checked off and ignore the outside world. I find out I'm not allergic to anything (even though I still break out in hives and rashes). I go to Maker Faire.

June: I see an opera simulcast at AT&T Park. I make marshmallows. I jump on a plane to Toronto. While I'm gone my Grandmother passes away. Garage constructions starts in our building which means lots of jackhammers. I finally see David Byrne in concert. I don't blog. I continue to knit.

July: Paul's dad comes for a visit and it's difficult on many levels. We run into problems getting our taxes done. We start to panic. I still don't blog. I still knit. By the end of the month I have 15 FOs.

August: It's my birthday and I need a break. Paul takes me away for the weekend. We go to the the Monterrey Bay Aquarium, which is one of my favorite places. It was a well needed break. I go whale watching. I have another interview at another company I would have loveloveloved to work for. Once again, I fail to impress. I'm sad again. Still have issues with taxes. I still don't blog.

September: I head to my folk's place to give my mom some support. I jump back into blogging by announcing my Grandmother's death. I counter the sad news with a post on "what knitty.com means to me" inspired by Indigirl. An old friend who lives far away visits with his new girlfriend. I cook all day, we eat and catch up. Surprisingly the visit is much better and more relaxed than expected. I Ride The Duck as a mystery shopper. And I'm still knitting.

October: Two things I do that aren't surprising: I don't blog and I do knit. Work keeps my mind busy. Garage work starts getting sporadic as there is permit problems and the SF building department turn into wankers. I mystery shop two of the Ghirardelli Square cafes and I go into a sugar coma.

November: Michelle comes to visit! Thankfully work deadlines are pushed back so I can make an awesome itinerary. Sadly, I don't blog about it. However we do have a kick-ass time and I take some awesome photos. Paul and I celebrate Thanksgiving in Portland with an old friend. Ever had a turkey cooked on the BBQ grill basted in champagne? Well, you should. We also go wine tasting. By the end of the short trip my pants are tight.

December: I don't blog... and yes, I knit. I don't complete all the gifts I'd like to knit but I'm pleased with the final number. I get so pleased with my gifts that I forget to do holiday cards. Even though its far from complete, the garage gets a door and now its actually usable. Tax situation is still not completely taken care of but at least we're not panicking any more. Paul takes two weeks vacation so we can do fun things around town. He comes down with Hell Cold, flops around the house for more than a week and then hands the Hell Cold over to me. We celebrate Paul's birthday and ring in the New Year with homemade boeuf bourguignon, no-knead bread, beer and friends. I knit a cat sweater for my Portland friend's cat and make Elena try it on. I decide that I am not a nice person.

The way I want you, dear reader, to remember my 2009 is how awesome I was in the knitting department. 29 FOs, baby!

1. January is for Karen, 2. RPMs, 3. Generic Socks for Paul, 4. Sherbrooke Cowl, 5. Gloria Cowl, 6. February Lady Sweater, 7. Beatrice Bunny, 8. Generic Socks for Me, 9. Baby Booties #1, 10. Helena, 11. Baby Booties #2-#4, 12. Purple Purl shop sample, 13. Generic Socks for Paul #2, 14. Sunday Mittens, 15. Woodland Shawl, 16. Jaywalkers, 17. Herringbone Mittens, 18. Lavalette, 19. Just Enough Ruffles, 20. Springtime Bandit, 21. June is for Jag, 22. Embossed Leaves, 23. Father and Son Socks, 24. Foliage Hat, 25. Parrotfish Hat, 26. Bitterroot shawlette, 27. Cat Sweater

Created with fd's Flickr Toys

A record, for sure. And the best part? Most of them were gifts. In fact, only five of those projects stayed home with me. The other 24 were sent far and wide as baby welcoming, birthday and X-mas gifts. And it seemed that the recipients loved them (or so they said) and that was a lot more rewarding than I expected to be.

The Visitor

2009-11-10T08:43:00.000-08:00

I've been quiet lately only because I've not wanted to bore you. Things haven't been very interesting. Or not interesting enough to write about. At least not in my opinion. But here's an interesting thing: Michelle is coming for a visit tomorrow. She'll be here for a whole week and I have her schedule so jammed packed with fun that she'll need a vacation from her vacation. And I mean that.

Tour highlights include:

California Academy of Sciences
Chinatown Walking Tour
a yarn crawl that will take us to Art Fibers, A Verb for Keeping Warm and Article Pract
a "night cruise" of Alcatraz
Anchor Steam Brewery

And when in San Francisco you must eat and eat you must:

This here list is only the highlights. There will be walking the 'hoods and eating lots of food. As in typical style, we will have cameras in tow. Now I'm hoping it won't rain the entire time she's in town. That would put a damper on things.

Favorite Photo

2009-09-18T20:28:00.000-07:00

Canada Day Fireworks
Acton, ON
2008

What knitty has meant to me

2009-09-12T12:13:00.000-07:00

Indigirl had a great post about how knitty changed her life and she asked others to post as well. I thought I would try to change the mood here at I'm Not Bad... and get things back on a positive upswing. What better way than to talk about knitty?

I was introduced to the concept of knitting in a “middleman” sorta way. Living in San Francisco, I had a friend who wanted to learn how to knit and I had a friend who knew how, so I set up the first meeting at my apartment in November of 2003. I didn't get it at first and I kind of struggled with it. I put it aside for a bit and then I took a few classes that opened my eyes. From there I spent a lot time on the internet. Let's face it, knitting is expensive. I'm sure if we look at our collective stashes and add up the cost we might have been able to take an expensive trip or even have a down payment for something expensive... instead with have yarn! Beautifulbeautifulyummyscrummydroolpant yarn! (But I'm getting ahead of myself.) At that early moment in my knitting life I wasn't ready to make the commitment of yarn and books and needles and books and accessories and yarn and books. But I had the internet. And with that I had knitty. I would spend hours clickityclicking through the patterns, ogling yarn sites making future plans of what I would knit when I got the courage and/or skill level.

The end of 2005 Paul and I moved to Toronto. We knew no one. Not one person. We had no jobs. And it was October. But I knew how to knit... sort of. Within the first month of being in town I had found a knit night that was close to the apartment. There were many knitters there of different backgrounds and skill level and many of the discussions always came back to knitty. Lively discussions about the latest issue's patterns or what knitty patterns were currently on/about to be on/or just off the needles. The Clapotis was one of the most popular patterns in the group. I want to say everyone made one! (But I'm sure that's my memory being clouded.)

Maybe it was just me who was knitting the Clap?

2006 turned into my fearless year. I found too many new knitters saying things like "I can't...," "It's too hard...," I'm not skilled enough..." I wish I could..." I decided that those words words had come out of my mouth long enough and I thought that the worse thing that could happen would be that I would need to rip whatever I was working on out. And to me that seemed a lot more fulfilling then not trying something because I thought I couldn't. Maybe I felt that way because of all the support from all the knitters with their different backgrounds and skill level. It didn't hurt being in Toronto as knitters were every where! And that is the year that I fearlessly met Amy Singer. Well, more like I went up to her and awkwardly introduced myself and told her how knitty was important to me in some mumbling gibberish. And she didn't run away (bless her soul!). I might of if I had been her. I know I can be kind of weird and loud and awkward. And then something awesome happened. I'm not sure how, but I ended up convincing Amy that I could help her with the "More Big Girl Knits" photo shoot. Maybe she felt sorry for me? Anyway... the rest, as they say, is history.

See?! Amy and I are best of friends!!

Knitty created a connection to a community before I even realized I needed it. It was my inspiration and my ice breaker and continues to be so now that I'm back in San Francisco. My time in Toronto will always be held close to my heart along with the friends I made and the experiences I had.

Amy, I can't thank you enough for all your hard work. And as I've told you on several occasions, "You rawk!"

R.I.P. Grandma

2009-09-11T18:35:00.000-07:00

Doris Mary LaPoint

November 11, 1917 - June 17, 2009

Probably not the best way to drop back into blogging, announcing a death, but I feel I've been gone too long. And that reason for the absence, of course, was her death. She was the best grandma. I got her laugh from nurture and her nose from nature. She wasn't a baker or knitter or cook but she played a mean game of Scrabble. She always won. It wasn't because those playing against her let it happen, she was just that diabolical in her strategy. I don't win that often but I incorporate her strategies every time I play. She passed while I was in Toronto. It wasn't unexpected but it still hit me like a ton of bricks. I still cry when I think that I won't hear her voice again.

I'm off to Toronto!

2009-06-11T08:48:00.000-07:00

And I'm bringing these...

Recipe here.

On the Needles

2009-05-11T20:49:00.000-07:00

I don't normally have so many things on the needles at once. I tend to work on two projects max as I like to see things to completion before I move on to the next thing. Looking at my in progress stuff I was a little blown away by the amount. I feel I need to take inventory. So I say, "Let the WIP parade begin!"

The oldest active thing on the needles:

This eventually will be the Lacy Yoga Mat Bag from Interweave Knits. I started this in late January and I have maybe 12 inches of the bag part done. I decided to do this in the round because I didn't want to purl (because I'm lazy) and I thought it would be a breeze. No. This project has tied me up in so many ways that I've unknit more than I've knit. I get all excited about it and I knit like a fiend only to realized my count is off and my lace is all mashugana. Riiiiiiiiiiiipppppp. Sigh!

Did I tell you I'm gift knitting this holiday season? All of its coming from stash so I hope friends and family like what I have in stock. I got so many surprises planned and its going to be great! And I'm not just half-assing it either.

I'm on gift number two and I'm glad I'm starting early because it's lace. It's the Woodland Shawl to be exact. And it feels as if it's taking eternity to knit. Although I guess its really not. I started April 18th and I think I have three repeats left before I'm outta yarn. Last time I knit a lace scarf it took a little over 7 months. I'll take that as marked improvement!

Now the next four things aren't even on the needles yet. But I got deadlines, people!

The silver yarn is part of a kit for the Cylon Centurion. It has sadly taken a backseat to the gift knitting as its for me. The red Malabrigo Sock yarn will be another lacy gift, Lily of the Valley Scarf from Knitted Lace of Estonia. To add to that it is my May Personal Sock Club bag hence why it is a WIP. In theory I should get it done by the end of May. The Cabin Fever will be a Helena and the angora will be another pair of baby booties for a friend who is due in July. I'll probably do these before the scarf as I need a lace break.

If you're still with me, then maybe you noticed that I mentioned the yoga bag as the "oldest active thing?" I have two things that have been in permanent hibernation and I 'm torn if I should rip them or let them hang around a bit longer. This is where you come in, dear reader.

Orangina started in May of 2006. This is as far as I've gotten:

Since May of 2006, people, that's all I've done! So do I rip or not?

And then there are these cute gloves... urrrr... I mean glove:

This has been flopping around since late 2007, I think. From the Ravelry page I wrote: "Sophie taught me how to do colourwork and I got this much done before I threw this in the corner because the needles I was using were cheap icky ones." The gauge is super tight so the glove is dense and now that I'm living in California I can't imagine wearing them since it doesn't get that cold. But Sophie taught me how to do colourwork on these gloves and I'm fond of the memories. Do I rip or not?

I'm going to try and promise myself to not add anything else to the list. This is giving me a pretty good headache as it is. Sigh!

Toronto, here I come!

2009-05-10T17:33:00.000-07:00

I'll be back June 12th through the 21st. Who wants to play?!

My Signature....

2009-05-09T09:33:00.000-07:00

More babies mean more baby booties. Here's a pair for the baby shower I'll be attending on Sunday.

ANGORA BABY BOOTIES
Started: May 5, 2009
Completed: May 6, 2009
Pattern: Last-Minute Knitted Gifts, by Joelle Hoverson
Yarn: Schulana Angora-Fashion
Color: #10 (Pumpkin)
Needles: US 5/3.75mm Brittany Bamboo DPNs
Recipient: ?? (baby's sex and name is being withheld)

I'm pretty excited about the yarn because I should be able to get four pairs out of one ball. This finished pair weighs 6 grams and the ball is 25 grams total. This yarn is a pretty good substitute for the yarn that I was using because I can get my hands on it and it's much cheaper. I paid $18 for the 25 gram ball and the yarn I was using before was $5 for a 5 gram ball . Have I mentioned how much I love my food scale for situations like this? I'll be making another pair immediately since another friend is also having a baby.

Ravelry deets here.

Favorite Photo Day

2009-05-08T13:54:00.000-07:00

Sadly this got lost in the move.

The FO parade...

2009-05-07T08:05:00.000-07:00

I've not completely abandoned this blog. I know it kinda seems like I have. I will admit that I've been a bit distracted with Twitter and Ravelry but it hasn't sucked up all my time. Honestly I've been enjoying my knitting time and I find that when I have free time I'd rather knit either in a comfy chair at home or at one of the many cafés that are in walking distance from my house then sit in front of the computer. I feel like a bit of an old lady! But with the selection of cafés at least I'm an old lady who gets out of the house.

Now to get you caught up on my recent FOs. First off, gift knitting! When I saw the patterns that dangercrafts created I squeeeeeed with delight and bought a bunch. And when I knew I was going to be seeing a friend's totally adorables daughter I knit one up lickety-split:

EASTER BEATRICE
Started: April 11, 2009
Completed: April 11, 2009
Pattern: Beatrice and Bernard The Inseparable Bunny and Bear by Rebecca Danger
Yarn: White Buffalo Elena
Color: uhhh... dark pink... mauve...pink/purple... #220
Skeins: .25
Needles: 5mm/US 8 Knitpicks Options
Notes: It's the cutest 8" tall toy ever.

Remember my Personal Sock Club? I kinda did a rush job talking about the last three months but I've been doing a good job of keeping on top of the bag pulling. Below are April's bag. How awesome are they? This fine yarn was hand dyed by Lisa the Goth and they are my most favorite socks. Everything is perfect about them: the knitting, the striping, the colors, the softness. They are faboo!

GENERIC STASH DOWN #2
Started: April 2, 2009
Completed: April 17, 2009
Pattern: just generic toe-up
Yarn: Needle Addict's Hand Dyed
Color:Tropical Murk
Skeins: 2
Needles: 3mm/US 2.5 Knitpicks Options
Notes: My Personal Sock Club project for April. Did Judy’s Magic Cast-On and started with 20 stitches (10 on each needle). Increased to 56 stitches with a plain ol’ m1. Knit the foot until it was 8” long. Knit leg until 6.25” long and then did 2x2 ribbing for .75”. Did both afterthought heels last.

And the big finale? My Lady February Sweater. Made out of Malabrigo Silky Merino. I love it so much.

I'm A Lady Sweater
Started: January 31st, 2009
Completed: April 5, 2009
Pattern: February Lady Sweater by Pamela Wynne
Yarn: Malabrigo Silky Merino
Color: Redwood Bark
Skeins: 6
Needles: 5.5mm/US 9 Knitpicks Options
Notes: This sweater fits perfectly so I haven't washed it yet. I believe this puppy will be going to the dry cleaners as I hear this sweater groooooooows when blocked. Also, I wish I hadn't been lazy and knit from two balls at a time. One of my skeins was lighter than the others and you can kinda see it.

I'm knitting quickly on more projects then I'd like to be working on at one time. Maybe I'll post about those later.

Favorite Photo Day

2009-05-01T12:03:00.000-07:00

My first UE outings in Toronto. This building is now torn down. I wish I could remember what it used to be.

Favorite Photo Day

2009-04-25T11:39:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to do this for a while but I've just been too lazy to do it. I was flicking through my flickr and I was enjoying some photos that I hadn't looked at in a long time and I thought to myself, "It would be cool to post my favorite photos, like one every once in a while (but more than once), maybe even write a small description and see what people think." Or don't think, for that matter. So what do you think Blogland? Are you in on looking at my photos without leaving the comfort of my blog? Maybe you could share your favorite photo that you've taken? Or maybe that's taking it too far? Maybe even the description is too much too. What the heckers, I'll figure it out as I go along and if you're willing to play along then I am. Anyways, this photo is only a week old but I thought I would post it anyway.

ABOUT THIS PHOTO: SF had a heatwave last weekend and we decided to do a very touristy thing: hike Twin Peaks. Well, we didn't hike the entire hill. We took the bus as far as it would take us and then we hiked up the last little bit. It was a bit hazy but I had my polarizing filter. One thing I love to do when I'm in a touristy area is take photos of people taking photos of other people. And I normally try to do it as stealthily as possible, sometimes not even looking through the viewfinder. I love this composition of the two woman next to the radio tower with the cloudless sky behind them.

Dear Dr. Glenna

2009-04-24T23:21:00.000-07:00

Dear Dr. Glenna -

I was so excited to receive your Viper Pilots pattern that I couldn't wait to cast on. Unfortunately after heavy deliberation I realized none of my sock yarn would do your amazinglyawesomesuperkewl pattern the justice it deserves. And I just can't half-ass it. Currently I'm digging in the couch cushions for change to save up for some Smooshy. I plan to go to my LYS on May 1st with my bag o' change and lint to be a proud owner YTWDYPP (Yarn That Will Do Your Pattern Proud). I just wanted to get it out in the open so you don't think I'm being unreasonable. Sadly I'm just being "on a budget."

Thinking of your sock pattern daily,
I'm Not Bad...

Now With Baking!

2009-03-28T19:18:00.000-07:00

I had a craving for chocolate chip cookies but I was feeling too lazy to bake them and too cheap to go out and buy them. I decided that chocolate chip muffins would be much easier to procure so I hopped on the interwebs to see what recipe my google machine would pop out. I found my recipe after I saw this:

I normally don't go for video recipes but I thought if Nigella has a chocolate chip muffin recipe then I should try it - especially since she couldn't wait to snuggle up to a magazine and have one. I watched the video twice to make sure I wrote all the ingredients correctly and then I set to work. So far so good, right?

I was all excited. I couldn't wait to curl up with a delicious chocolaty muffin and read a magazine - just like Nigella! My excitement was slightly dampened by the amount of time they spent in the oven (something like 40 minutes as opposed to the 20 stated in the video). And then I was skeptical when I pulled them out and they looked like this:

These were the better looking of the dozen. They smelled amazing. And I thought since they're just going to go in my belly who cares what they look like! My magazine cuddling was just going to have to wait because those suckers weren't coming out. At least not in one piece so I left them in the pan. When Paul came home from work he couldn't believe I couldn't get them out of the pan. So he tried himself...

and tried...

and tried.

He did successfully get the muffins out of the pan with much effort. Unfortunately most of the muffins were no longer muffin shaped after he was done.

We have now dubbed this recipe "Chocolate Chip Muffin Crumble." I will admit they were dee-lish but I wouldn't bring them to a bake sale. And I would definitely wear a bib if I were to curl up with a magazine and eat them.

Now I'm willing to assume that I did something wrong (I did butter the pan as opposed to using muffin cups and I used Frangelico in place of the vanilla) and with that assumption I am willing to try these again. Are there any suggestions from the bakers out there?

I Cooked Indian Food!

2009-03-27T18:56:00.000-07:00

I'm a lady who loves food. I love eating. And I love going out to restaurants. However with the economy being the way it is I'm tightening my belt - both figuratively and literally. A crappy economy won't stop me from enjoying good eats. Luckily for me, I don't mind cooking and sometimes I get a bee in my bonnet about a particular something.

For example, I've been craving Indian food for a few weeks. And it didn't help or hurt that I stumbled up a Yellow Dal recipe. Then I found a super deelish sounding chicken recipe that would go perfectly with the Dal. And then I determined that I need to make Saag Paneer again. From there people were invited to the house and a dinner party was born.

I had cooked Indian food before. When Paul and I first moved to Toronto. We didn't know anyone and I wasn't working so it was the perfect thing to do. I made Butter Chicken and Saag Paneer and it took all day. Get details and photos here. To sum up: my Butter Chicken rocked but my Saag Paneer was totally tasteless.

Once again, I made my own paneer. It's an incredibly easy thing to do. You just have to follow the steps just right.

Here I am cooking the onions, garlic and spices before I add them to the lentil/tomato puree.

Here's the spinach before we chopped it up and added the paneer. Still not the best saag paneer but much better than my first try.

The chicken was outstanding! In fact it was the "best" of all the dishes.

All-in-all dinner wasn't half bad. I definitely will make both the chicken and the dal again. And I really want to get the paneer recipe right. I kinda wish I had gotten better photos of the finished food but we were too hungry to wait. Maybe next time.

I didn't want it to end.

2009-03-26T17:25:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately thought, it did. I'm sure I wasn't the only one who was saddened by the finale of Battlestar Galactica. At first I was all like "That totally sucked. I'm pissed. Waaah!" But then I realized the finale itself was fine... maybe not THE best finale, but totally servicable as an ending. I realized that I was throwing a tantrum because the saga was over. I let my feeling get in the way and my reaction was completely human. I guess this is where one would cue the opening credits music, no?

In my lame attempt to have the journey continue, my next two projects are going to be BSG based. Thanks to Miko (and her crazy love for purple) I was able to score yarn to make the Cylon Centurian Hat. And thanks to Glenna (and her amazing pattern making abilities) I was able to get my hands on her Viper Pilot sock pattern.

I'm sooooooo dorky and I dooon't caaaaaaaaaaaaaaare!

February Grief

2009-03-26T15:54:00.000-07:00

I want to know what happened to March? I mean, February I totally get as to why I fell off the radar for a bit. But March? Maybe I will just blame February since work was pretty grueling leading me to take an extended brain vacation. I'll also blame February for another reason.

That's right. I'm going to blame my absenteeism on the Lady February Sweater. There is something about knitting this sweater that is akin to being in a trance so it's been a bit difficult to put down. Proof that since I've taken this photo I've finished one sleeve and am 10 rows short of finishing the second.

Another Cowl

2009-03-17T14:39:00.000-07:00

GIFT COWL
Started: March 11, 2009
Completed: March 12, 2009
Pattern: Gloria Cowl by Orinda5
Yarn: Haldespun
Color: Fall Foliage
Skeins: 1
Needles: 5mm/US 8 Knitpicks Options
Notes: It's a little wider and shorter than I would have liked but it's very pretty.

2 FOs, a WIP and a muffin recipe

2009-03-04T20:25:00.000-08:00

As with most people, February was a blur. Work was outta control busy which didn't leave me with a lot of free time to do the things I needed and/or wanted to do. So now we're in March and I have no work to distract me so I'm playing catch up, or catsup if you're hungry.

Speaking of hungry (which I am all the time) I've been trolling two food blogs. I think Michelle introduced me to 'em but I can't remember. These blogs make my tummy grumble faster than... well, something that grumbles. The Pioneer Woman Cooks! and Smitten Kitchen make me drool on a regular basis and I'm not kidding.

Now I've been craving muffins for a bit. But not the sugary/floury/carb-licious ones that are like little cakes. No, I've been craving a (fairly) healthy one. See Starbucks** used to have a fruit and bran muffin that I really, really liked and then they took it away from me. I've been on the hunt ever since. Smitten Kitchen added a new feature and its called "Surprise Me!" You click the link and it usually takes you to a recipe. Click it again and it takes you to an entirely different recipe. I was bonking on that link over and over seeing each surprise and thinking "I gotta make that some day." when the muffins I've been looking for these past long, lonely months popped up.

What was funny was that I didn't realize they were The Muffins. As I was reading the ingredients and looking at the photos I swear I could have tasted them but I knew that was impossible since I had never made anything off the site (yet). I convinced myself that I was just hungry and that I should make a list, run to the grocery store and bake them. And that's what I did. And I'm pleased as punch to report that my muffin craving has been satiated. Hurrah! The recipe? Sour Cream Bran Muffins. I used yogurt instead of sour cream and my dried fruit was a mixture of cherries, strawberries, cranberries and blueberries. And even Paul, who doesn't like blueberries (in any shape or form) was all over them. I ate two for dinner. I recommend them. The end.

Now that you're back after making your own muffins, let's talk about knitting! 2 FOs and a WIP. What could be better than that? Other than 3 MCs and 1 DJ*? I can't think of anything.

FO#1:

GENERIC CUFF DOWN
Started: Feb 1, 2009
Completed: Feb 28, 2009
Pattern: generic cuff down
Yarn: Lang Jawoll Cotton
Color: 8853
Skeins: 2
Needles: 2.5mm/US 1.5 Knitpicks Options
Notes: cast on 64, heel worked over 38 stitches
Ravelry deets here.

FO#2:

TRAVEL COWL
Started: Feb 24, 2009
Completed: March 3, 2009
Pattern: Sherbrooke by Lauren Weinhold
Yarn: Haldespun
Color: Clematis
Skeins: 1
Needles: 5mm/US 8 Knitpicks Options
Notes: length is 10"
Modifications: row 2: *k1,p1*

Ravelry deets here.

WIP:

Whatdya think of the action shot, huh? Lady February Sweater coming 'actcha, yo! I'm loving this sweater. The yarn is so squishy and yummy I just want to hug it and squeeze it and call it George. I'm making better time on than expected since I was so busy. I'm going to guess this will be done by the end of March. More deets later.

*For those who don't get the reference, may I present Beastie Boys with "Three MC's and One DJ:"

** Please don't give me a hard time about going to Starbucks. Sometimes they do things right, like the bran muffin. I know most of the time they do things wrong, like taking away my bran muffin. My defense is "desperate times call for desperate measures."

Sigh

2009-02-19T23:28:00.000-08:00

Today was a rough day.

Work was hard.
The cat was barfy.
And all my dreams of employment are dead.

{insert buzzer sound here.}

PS: I like towels.

Action in the 'hood

2009-02-10T18:00:00.000-08:00

"San Francisco police have detained a man who allegedly stabbed an off-duty officer riding his bicycle this afternoon, authorities said."

Yes, and they arrested him ON MY STREET!!

ETA: a link to an updated article.

Why I love Netflix

2009-02-09T07:39:00.000-08:00

Watched last night. There were no Oscar® caliber performances but it was bizarrely heartwarming.

Sick Knitting

2009-02-08T10:45:00.000-08:00

I just recently had the Death Cold. 4 days of horrible sinus pain and suffering. Three days of recovery (although I'm still not 100%). Used tissue strewn around the house as far as the eyes can blearily see. The sorest of nose and throat. Avoid it if you can. Unless you want some mediocre knitting time. Then I totally recommend it.

Time for a bag!

2009-02-01T09:58:00.000-08:00

It's the beginning of the month, time to rip open a Personal Sock Club (PSC) bag. And the winner goes to:

Uptown Boot Socks from Interweave's Favorite Socks is the pattern. Lang Jawoll Cotton is the yarn and I have to say it's the most psychedelic color I've seen since my Jimi Hendrix X-Mas Cardi. Don't know if the yarn/pattern combo is going to work but I'm going to give it a go. Also there's a theme between my f irst PSC09 project and this one: yarn gifted to me by my friend Sophie.

ETA: As soon as I got a few stitches on the needle Paul started eying this yarn. When asked if he would like socks in this yarn he couldn't say yes fast enough. So the Uptown Boot Socks pattern has been thrown to the wayside and I've cast on for a generic top down pattern just for Paul.

Back to the future

2009-01-31T17:16:00.000-08:00

Srsly?

2009-01-28T18:42:00.000-08:00

It's not that big of a deal but I thought I was on a roll. Since I made my last knitting post, January has been full of knitting fail. Take a look at this sweater that I've been working on since late November:

Well, it now looks like this:

I hope it will look like this when I'm done but I'm not sure if I'm feeling it as I was stumped by cables. Yes, I said it! Stumped by cables. I'm saying it again. I've also been working on the Lacy Yoga Mat Bag as a quick project to burn up some stash but I clearly can't read a pattern as I've already ripped and restarted 6 times. The reason? The pattern is not written to be knitted in the round like I assumed it would be.

Bush Street street signs changed to Obama...

2009-01-20T09:59:00.000-08:00

Read about it here.

1 Down, 10 more to go!

2009-01-17T18:15:00.000-08:00

RPMs are finished! And I'm so glad I got them off the needles. I was actually numb to their mad horror-ness and was just kinda, you know, whatever about 'em. But hurray for an FO! Plus it's my official first Personal Sock Club project so I feel very good about being done with them (hence the title of the post). Now I have two FOs done in one month and I still got 14 more days to go wild/crazy with some yarn. Woot!

ROCKING THE RPMS
Started: January 4, 2009
Completed: January 16, 2009
Pattern: rpm by Aiga Goto
Yarn: Socks That Rock - Lightweight
Color: Roctober (gifted to me by Sophie a looooong time ago)
Skeins: 1
Needles: 2.5mm/US 1.5 Knitpicks Options
Notes: I did a short row heel and a grafted toe... hopefully a better photo to come soon.

Heading to knit night...

2009-01-15T23:20:00.000-08:00

Taken on Tuesday night on my way to knitting. I love that I have a group that meets just blocks away from my house. It's totally rocks.

Sock #1 done!

2009-01-11T11:53:00.000-08:00

And I love the pattern! It definitely makes up for the Mad Horror Clowness of the yarn. This was my first attempt at a short row heel and, if I can say so myself, it doesn't look too shabby. (Although don't look at the other side I'm not sure what I did there but I will say there are no holes.)

Converting to metric... made easy

2009-01-08T09:46:00.000-08:00

I <3 xkcd!

Quote from a non-knitter regarding yarn II

2009-01-07T20:40:00.000-08:00

"It doesn't look like clown barf. Does that help? Is that the right answer?!"

RPMs of a mad horror clown

2009-01-07T18:41:00.000-08:00

I'm just sayin'...

Apartment Therapy + Extreme Knitting

2009-01-06T09:21:00.000-08:00

Apartment Therapy is one of those blogs I look at on a not regular basis to get home decorating ideas - they have great articles and beautiful photos to boot! I do subscribe to their newsletter and in my inbox I was pleasantly surprised to read about Extreme Knitting. Gives one inspiration and crazy ideas!

First FO of '09 (& the Personal Sock Club)

2009-01-04T11:29:00.000-08:00

Yays for gettin' crackin' in the new year! One FO on the board. Sweet!

JANUARY IS FOR DKC
Started: December 29, 2008
Completed: January 4, 2009
Pattern: January is for Karen by Lorena Haldeman
Yarn: Elann Sonata (solid)
Color: weird pinkish (#6056)
Skeins: 2
Needles: 4.5mm/US 7 Knitpicks Options
Notes: This is for the DKC's Knit for the Cure
Rav deets here

I have two more projects that are holdovers from '08 but I plan to take care of them this year but not at this moment. Now I'm going to turn my attention toward the sock club I joined through a group on Ravelry - Personal Sock Club 2009. Not to bore anyone with the details but basically you go in your stash pull yarn, match up them up to patterns you want to do, stash 'em all in separate, unmarked bags and (voila!) you have your own personal sock club. Of course you could do it with lace, sweaters, hats - whatever your preference!

I created 11 kits, because honestly 12 was too much pressure. I have five socks with patterns, four plain and two small project projects (one with sock yarn). I pulled my first bag and (drum roll, please!) I pulled some delicious STR that has been sitting in my stash along with RPM.

Today I have to deal with house stuff but tonight will be for me and my STR. Hee!

New look for '09...

2009-01-02T17:02:00.000-08:00

Goodbye blond, hello brunette!

Happy Knit Year!

2008-12-31T16:30:00.000-08:00

Now that I can't avoid 2009 any longer I thought I would try to welcome it with open arms and give it a big ol' squeeze. And I'm going to create a list of goals, not resolutions mind you, but just simple goals.

LIVING:
- travel to at least one new place (We were planning on going to New Zealand this year but with the economy taking a huge dump that has been put on hold)
- get back in touch with old friends
- stay in touch with friends who are far away
- learn something new (I like to do this every year anyway but it's nice to have it written down)

Simple, huh? I like to set goals that are attainable even if they seem a little too easy. It's amazing what life can do to a list of goals, right?

KNITTING

Now this isn't as simple as making a list, but maybe I'll try. I've had some anxiety over my stash the last year because I know (and admit) that I'm a slow knitter. I mean s-l-o-w. I keep telling myself that maybe I should learn continental but I'm a thrower and in some ways I like it like that.

I joined a new group on Ravelry called Stash Knit Down 2009 and with that I've been taking a long hard look at my stash over the last week. Almost at an obsessive rate - staying up late, ignoring work, blah, blah. And you know what I've determined? I got some pretty kick ass stuff in there. Dr. Steph blogged about her stash and it inspired me to actually measure what I got... well at least approximately. My stash contains 12km/7.5mi worth of yarn. That's basically the length of San Francisco (as the city forms a seven-by-seven-mile square). In 2008, I knitted somewhere in the 4,358 m/4,767 yards, or almost half the city's length. So basically if I don't buy anything I have about 3 years worth of yarn to knit. It's weird to think of it that way, but there it is. So my knitting goals for 2009:

- use the queue feature in Ravelry to keep focus of what I want to knit.
- participate in the Personal Sock Club organized by the stash down group
- actually do some gift knitting (the biggest shocker!)

That's it! I won't say that I'm not going to buy anything, nor am I going to say I can't stray from my queue or anything harsh like that. I just need focus and I like lists... so there.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy New Years and that '09 brings good cheer, great health and fabulous times!

2008 Round up!

2008-12-31T00:01:00.000-08:00

Another year has gone by and it's time for a little bit of reflecting. It's a bit wordy this year, do you have your snack and beverage of choice? Excellent! Let's begin:

January: Do you guys remember the kitchen reno that started back in May '07? I had forgotten about it too, but clearly we were still working on it. The microwave/range hood had its coming out (of the basement) party. I learn how to drop spindle by the fabulous Lorraine but don't get bit by the bug. I attempt to learn how to snowboard but FAIL. I finish four projects - a record month!

February: I complete my first real lace project. I continue posting about my Thriller obsession.

March: I have a bit of a winter meltdown. I'm in Southern California for work and then I pop up to San Francisco to spend some time with a friend who's gone through a terrible breakup. I soak up the weather and try cheer up my friend the best I can. While I'm gone Paul is contacted by his old department at the San Francisco Chronicle asking if he knows someone with a "certain" skill set. Paul calls me and wonders how he should respond since we're just hitting our groove in Toronto and loving it (except for the bleakness of the winter, I was still wrastlin' with that.) We decide that we'd regret not at least getting the dialogue started. Within four days The Chron makes an offer we can't refuse.

April: April 1st was Inexplicable Knitter Behaviour Day to commemorate the Yarn Harlot's latest book launch. She and Rachel H devised a photo scavenger hunt that Michelle and I dominated. Michelle and I also taught our first (and last) joint b eginner photography class for bloggers and Ravelers at In The Loop Café. I learned to crochet! I officially announce I'm moving back to SF (not the highlight of the month). I host a babeh shower for Sandi where we give her a community knitted/crocheted baby blanket. If I may say so myself, the blanket is gorgeous.

May: The cogs that are The Move start to turn. We must have finished all the kitchen renovations as we put the House of Sammon on the market and begin culling stuff left and right. Paul leaves at the end of the month and I start to feel pretty overwhelmed.

June: House of Sammon sells. The CBC loses it's rights to the Hockey Night In Canada theme song. I get a haircut. I'm photographed for the 1,000 Knitters project. Michelle teaches me to sew and I make the cutest dragon pants you ever did see. Am I still talking about Thriller?! Lordy, I must be obsessed. I fly to SF to check out a place that we want to buy and find that we're a far way away from actually signing our names on the dotted line. I have a great trip anyway. I find that my fear of flying has diminished enough that I actually enjoy sitting by the window as opposed to the aisle. I create the ugliest WIP in the world - the bloody flesh scarf.

**Intermission - time to go for that pee break or refill of your favourite bevvie**

July: The Knitters throw one hell of a going away party for me... and they knit me a community blanket!! I pack like a fiend, eat lots of take out all month. Not surprisingly my pants don't fit by the end of the month. I hang out with The Knitters as much as possible. Paul is still trying to find us a place to live. We discuss living in a hotel that will take the cat out in Emeryville. We cringe at the idea but know its our only choice other than living in a cardboard box. In the 11th hour, Paul finds a sublet in the city for the month of August. My fight with the movers just begins. I exhale a little.

August: I leave for SF on the 1st. We're still in negotiations to buy. The sublet is in a great neighbourhood and has a quirky backyard but is incredibly dirty and FULL of animal hair. It looks like no one has cleaned in months or maybe even a year. My freelance work dries up. Old friends are busy. And I spend most of it alone in the less dirty (since I cleaned) apartment fighting with the moving company. I miss Toronto. Start an online photography class but don't do much with it. Then, it seems in a flash, negotiations are settled and we sign our names on the dotted lines and are able to move in. I continue to fight with the moving company but we get our stuff - not all in one piece, mind you.

September: Its a blur but I do remember a lot of boxes. My freelance boss contacts me and says that it looks like her department will be shut down. I panic.

October: Still has something to do with a lot of boxes but I at least get my head up for air occasionally. My freelance boss contacts me again and said that she has a ton of projects on her desk now and she has the perfect project for me. A meeting is hastily arranged and I'm less panicked knowing I'm going to be having some work.

November: I come back to Toronto for a week long visit. Michelle gets married! I see Cute With Chris Live! I see The Knitters (and their babies if applicable)! Obama gets elected!! After that I go back home for a week then I'm back on plane heading to North Carolina to visit my folks and celebrate my Grandma's 91st birthday. Work is overwhelming and I pull my hair out.

December: Still working like a madwoman but actually exhale fully. And I finally get the nerve to go to a knit night.

And now for everyone's favourite... the FOs of 2008!!

1. Wicked, 2. Awesome Snarkfest II, 3. (Not So) Hell(ish) Socks, 4. Huggable Toy, 5. Le Slouch II, 6. Seamesh Scarf, 7. Babeh Blanket for Sandi!, 8. Babeh Gift #2, 9. Babeh Gift #3, 10. Marching Monkey Madness, 11. Baby Booties for The Purple Purl, 12. Dragon Pants!, 13. Mermaid Vine Lace Vest, 14. Sweetpeas for Sweet Pea!, 15. Cottony Clap, 16. Roses for Michelle!, 17. Christmas Socks

Created with fd's Flickr Toys.

LOL!!1

2008-12-29T17:16:00.000-08:00

see more puppies

I bought the farm!

2008-12-28T15:32:00.000-08:00

A shiitake mini-farm, that is.

This happened a few weeks back and I just got too busy to post about it but I think it's the darnedest thing. You're probably wondering to yourself, how (or why) did you get this... urr... thing?! Well it so happens that I won tickets to the 39th annual Fungus Fair hosted by the Oakland Museum of California and the Mycological Society of San Francisco. And it was blast! There were lectures, cooking demonstration and booths to buy stuff related to mushroom. Far West Fungi had a booth and their mushroom blocks seemed too good to pass up. When you buy them they don't have mushrooms on them, you have to wait for them to grow and mine grew quickly.

A week with farmer Jacquie

Here's my first crop! Supposedly I'm going to get three but I'm not sure if I've been taking proper care of my block. But my first go wasn't so bad!

The first crop

The mother mushroom

Anyhoo, I made this:

Into this:

I don't remember what I used. I just kinda pulled things out of the cabinet but it had a bit of a Japanese taste to it. I know mushrooms can be a contentious issue for some (ok, maybe just in my household), but I honestly can't get enough mushrooms!

The coolest thing at the fair was the yarn dying demonstration. Yes, dying yarn with mushrooms. I know what you're thinking, "Oh, how many colours of drab did they come up with?" That's exactly what I thought. But I was WRONG. You can get a whole rainbow of colours.

I was so smitten with the process that I bought the how-to book. Actually, I bought a couple I was so blown away. Might make a good gift for one or two of my yarny friends...

Christmas sock #2 done!

2008-12-25T15:14:00.000-08:00

And just in the nick of time!

I fixed the issue with the holes on either side of the heel on this one thanks to a suggestion from Michelle. As I was doing the second heel I just thought I would riiip out the holey heel and just redo. No biggie, right? But now that I have them on my feet I'm having second thoughts. However looking at this photo really makes me want to do it.

Time will tell if I do or don't. In the meantime I'm going to enjoy them. I mean, how can I not? Looooook at the yarn. I wanna nomnomnom it up. Srsly.

CHRISTMAS SOCKS!
Started: December 11, 2008
Completed:December 25, 2008
Pattern: generic toe-up with an afterthought heel
Yarn: Perhaps Today is a Good Day to Dye Superwash Merino Sock
Color: Gingerbread Man
Skeins: 1
Needles: 2.5mm/ 1.5US Knitpicks Options (love my magic loop!)
Notes: worked 72 stitches. First time with the afterthought heel and I learned that you need to pick up a couple stitches and then knit them together to get rid of the gaping hole. My kitchener stitch has really improved!
Ravelry deets here

Anyhoo, gotta run. I'm off to save the universe in my jammies. Merry Christmas to those who celebrate! And Happy Thursday to those that don't. I hope today fills you with joy, fun and laughter.... and lots of lightsaber battles, if you're into that kinda thing.

Christmas sock #1 done!

2008-12-21T19:07:00.000-08:00

I just love the colors. Lorena, what do you think? I want to run to the bakery and get me some gingerbread men and munch on 'em all day.

I'm just doing a generic toe-up and I'm giving the afterthought heel a go. I don't know if I like it. Or maybe I don't know if I'm doing it right. Because no matter how tight I pulled the yarn I still got huuuuuge holes on either side of the sock.

I know I can easily sew it up but is that supposed to happen?

Tonight I went knitting...

2008-12-15T23:26:00.000-08:00

and I hung with some awesome knitters.

I'm so glad I got off my lazy tuckus and went. I'm looking forward to more Mondays with them. :-)

Christmas came early!

2008-12-15T23:02:00.000-08:00

And I didn't have the willpower to wait to open it. Friday was One Of Those Days and I really needed some joy. It came in a wee box from Florida.

Lookylookylooky at what Lorena knitted for me! I had no idea she was going to send me a package much less knit me something. Although she did give a pretty good hint. And it couldn't have come at a better time as SF is seeing a cold snap (Tomorrow's forecast: rainy, lows 36F/2C. Burr!)

And now looooooooooook at this. Hand dyed yarn in "Gingerbread Man" colorway. How awesome!! Guess who's going to have Christmas socks? (Mememememememememememe!)

Plus there was two bars of the yummiest smelling soap that I forgot to photograph but did add to the shower. Lorena's soap is the only soap I will put on my skin and it leaves it feeling soft and smelling great. Want to know what you're missing? Then order some here. You won't be disappointed.

Lorena - You totally rock!! Thanks for making my holiday warm and my crappy Friday bright. Giganto hugs are being sent your way now and a package is being assembled (albeit slowly) for you that you should see soonish.

Sadly, I can't spread any holiday cheer this year...

2008-12-09T19:28:00.000-08:00

because what I thought was 4 boxes of cards turned into 5 individual cards. And I'm not sure what to do with that.

Sigh!

Brilliant

2008-12-03T16:16:00.000-08:00

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

It's beginning to look a lot like...

2008-12-01T00:18:00.000-08:00

the holidays!!

Had an incredibly productive long weekend - bought a Christmas tree, went to Target (on Saturday, not Friday) and bought tree decorations and the *right* curtain rods, assembled said tree, gave away a gigantic piece of furniture that was making us miserable, removed sheets from living room windows, hung new curtains in the newly naked windows.

Did I mention that we drank wine and tortured the cat, too? Yay for long weekends!

Happy belated Thanksgiving to my US friends. Happy belated Thursday to everyone else!

Trip #2

2008-11-27T18:25:00.000-08:00

As all good children know that when a steal of a plane fare jumps in your inbox you better take it, because if your folks find out that you passed up on a $300 ticket to visit them they'll be sorely disappointed. And that's how my second trip came about. Very last minute and incredibly cheap. Plus I didn't want to dissappoint the folks!

Honestly, I don't visit my parents as often as I should and my excuse for it isn't a very good one. They live out in the middle of nowhere and there's not much to do except eat and go to the Walmart. And since I'm not a fan of Walmart (I'm a Target Girl) we end up eating. A lot. And on this trip I ate stuff that I can't find easily in healthy California. Like shrimp 'n' grits, country fried steak and BBQ - just to name a few things that I sucked down with such wild abandon that it made me giddy.

But the coolest thing was that I was able to be in town for my Grandma's 91st birthday. And we celebrated with cake and chinese food. It was awesome!

Between Trip #1 and #2

2008-11-27T09:59:00.000-08:00

I knew my rest and relaxation was going to come to a crashing halt when I got back to SF. The day before I left for Toronto I had a meeting for a big project that was going to be due the beginning of January. That meant that I needed to have started my part of the project last month. So I was preparing myself for running around with my pants on fire. And it was true. I did. I'm a fan of the original Batman with Adam West and my week between Trip #1 and #2 kinda felt like this:

"They may be drinkers, Robin, but they're also human beings."

Trip #1: Return to The Great White North

2008-11-26T17:46:00.000-08:00

Although, it was pretty freakin' warm for November.

Anyhoo, when I moved back to San Francisco in August I promised Michelle that I'd come back for her wedding. At the time I agreed it felt like November was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay in the fuuuuuuuuuuture. But it came quick as a hare. And boy, was the return trip amazing. The wedding was so much fun. It was perfect in every way. And it gave me the chance to cut loose. Which I really needed since The Move was so stressful. I know Michelle has a bit of wedding burnout but I'm going to post some photos anyway.

1. DSC_0555.jpg, 2. DSC_0376.jpg, 3. DSC_0691.jpg, 4. DSC_0638.jpg

Created with fd's Flickr Toys.

Friends opened up their homes to me (big props to Jen, Miko and Amy - ladies, you rock my world!) and the whirlwind of social engagements was dizzying. From the wedding to seeing Cute With Chris Live! to hanging at The Purl to photography in the park to watching the election results in my jammies and eating amazing s'mores - the list of goes on and on and I had more fun than the law should allow!

1. DSC_0896.jpg, 2. DSC_0904.jpg

Created with fd's Flickr Toys.

The funniest and weirdest thing I did on the trip was take some socks out to photograph in the park by The Purl. I'm keeping some of the pics under wraps but there's a few I'm sharing.

But I tell ya, hilarity ensued what with appearance of a wiener dog and then a small child (see below). As an extra bonus, when I start my rock'n'roll career I already have my first album cover shot.

I definitely didn't spend enough time with some peeps (you know who you are) and there are some I didn't even get to see at all (you definitely know who you are). I'm hoping to remedy that in '09 (along with my lack of cell phone coverage) when I come back yet again.

You may have thought you got off scot-free, but Toronto, you've been warned!

Hello? Is this thing on??!

2008-11-26T16:14:00.000-08:00

Testing, testing.

Is anyone out there?

*crickets*

I'm not surprised you left. For the love of all things yarny, I did go away for a long time! And I didn't write. Nor did I call. Bad blogger, indeed. At this time I think passing blame is an excellent idea and I am going to blame the invention of the airplane. If it wasn't for the airplane I would have been home knitting and blogging. But I didn't stay home. I took two wonderful trips. More to come. I promise.

Roses!!

2008-10-29T11:14:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned before, Michelle's getting married and I'm so excited to be coming back in TO to celebrate the big day. Also noted before was that she's knitting her own bouquet. I got completely addicted knitting those little treasures during her Wine & Roses party that I volunteered to knit more. Michelle sent me a bag o' yarn scraps and I sent her these:

Most of them are the American Beauty pattern by Nicky Epstein in a variety of yarn and needle sizes. And I love them all. I hope Michelle loves them too!

Ravelry deets here.

If you love tedium, Clap your hands!

2008-10-28T15:32:00.000-07:00

This project has been off the needles for a bit but I haven't had the time to post it. Honestly, I thought it would never get done and I would be ripping, knitting, ripping, knitting ad infinitum.

Even with it being such a difficult easy project, I still love the end result. And I love wearing it! The bonus? I've already received a few compliments - which doesn't hurt!

COTTONY CLAP
Started: September 6, 2008
Completed:October 12, 2008
Pattern: Clapotis by Kate Gilbert
Yarn: Dye-Version's Chunky Cotton
Color: Smoke
Skeins: 4
Needles:5mm (8 US) Knitpicks Options
Notes: This took way too long and too much energy to take any kind of notes but I think I only increased to 59 stitches. It's not quite as wide as I would have liked it but the length is perfect.

Ravelry deets here.

Toronto, here I come!!

2008-10-27T20:39:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited! In three days I'm going to be back in Toronto. Hanging with my knitting peeps. And it will be so awesome!! I land Thursday (hopefully mid-afternoon) and I'm heading straight to The Purple Purl - no passing go, no collecting $200 - and then enjoying some Knitty Yarn Roundtable time.

The reason for my trip? Michelle is getting hitched on Saturday night and I wouldn't miss it for the world! I decided to stretch the visit out a bit so I'll be in TO for a full week. And I plan to be at The Purl as much as possible.

Oh, and I'm going to see the Cute With Chris live show on Friday night - but that is just the cherry on awesome trip sundae.

Hee!

Cute With Chris - LIVE in TO

2008-10-20T12:14:00.000-07:00

So Chris, from Cute With Chris, is putting on a live show of his wildly popular blog in Los Angeles and Toronto. I was surprised to see that I was going to be in TO at THE SAME TIME. Kismet?!

I know it sounds weird, but I am part of the cult, so I decided that it WAS fate and that I should go. I'm going to buy a single ticket for Friday, October 31st. But I'm thinking that I don't need to see it on my own. That it would be more fun with a friiieeend! And that I should share the crazy Cute With Chris love.

Anybody want to join me? $21 a ticket. And you can buy them here.

I promise it will be a night you'll remember. Plus you'll get a free button. I hear the kids love buttons.

EDIT: If you're vaguely interested I would say buy your ticket soon as some shows are already sold out.

I do... it's true!

2008-10-14T13:36:00.000-07:00

and this one is for Michelle.

Yarn art!

2008-10-13T07:38:00.000-07:00

Awesome/weird yarn art.

Just the facts... honestly!

2008-10-12T16:39:00.000-07:00

Here in The States we're in a froth over the upcoming presidential election. And as the election gets closer the rhetoric gets louder the speeches, ads and spin inevitably get nastier. If you're undecided (or just curious) and you want to cut through the bullshit then I recommend two sites - FactCheck.org and it's sister site, The Fact Check Wire. From their mission statement:

We are a nonpartisan, nonprofit "consumer advocate" for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics. We monitor the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews and news releases. Our goal is to apply the best practices of both journalism and scholarship, and to increase public knowledge and understanding.

These sites have been invaluable to me, mostly in debunking a certain political party's dubious claims. It's also cleared up some of the mud the other side has been throwing too. (I'm never a completely decided voter until I'm in that voting booth.)

No matter what side you support, the poo slinging is only going to get worse and it doesn't hurt to be truly informed.

A new online knit mag??!

2008-10-11T11:12:00.000-07:00

It looks as if there's new online knit mag for us to ogle over. It's called popknits and their first issue is online. From their about section:

Over the past few years, knitting vintage items has become popular again. Whether the item is a revamped sweater from the pages of Vogue Knitting 1955 or a new take on doily patterns as shawls, vintage knitting is taking a modern turn.

Sounds interesting, no? The first issue has only 6 patterns and they are loverly. I'm smitten with Gossamer Garden Stole. Prrr!

Up for air....

2008-10-08T23:14:00.000-07:00

Wow. Can you believe it's been over a month since I posted last? Holy crappers. Things have been crazy. My mind has been mush. And I have been seriously distracted. With the economy taking a big dump and the biggest election ever (or at least in my lifetime) looming only a few weeks away I'm spending a lot of time gnashing my teeth and pulling my hair. I guess I shouldn't be giving myself such a hard time. But I am. What do I have to show for it? Nada. I have no knitting that I can proudly show. I worked on my cotton Clap on what feels like an eternity but it has ended in disaster. See:

Ran out of yarn. With just that wee little bit of corner left to do. I can't bring myself to rip it out, although I probably will. (EDIT: And I did.) I still can't do anything with the yummy malabrigo sock yarn as my swift and ball winder are still packed. Yes, my friends. My crafty supplies are still packed. Two months later.

Oh, and did I tell you that I caught the plague last week? And that I'm still suffering? Oh, woes is me.

But don't feel sorry for me. No sirree, bob! I've been doing the modern day ostrich's head in the sand thing by surfing the world wide internets and I'm quite happy (thankyouverymuch). Interested in what I've been wasting my time over?

Cake Wrecks - Srsly? There is someone out there obsessed with cake design/gaffes and wants to share with everybody? Awesome. Don't know how I stumbled upon this one but I can't look away.

Unclutterer - Moving into a much smaller place than the one you had before will make you reconsider that box you moved three times already (or is it more?) and never opened. I'm on a kick decluttering my life... in between nose blowing.

Wonkette - I love me some snark-tinged news. Especially during an election. It keeps me sane.

CRAFT zine - OMG how I wish I sewedquiltedembroideredweaveddiditmyselfeverytingomgsqueee!!!1!

What blogs do you find suck your time the most/best? Please let me know as I have more time to waste.

This is the site that Paul can't get enough of:

see more puppies

Today two good things happened

2008-09-04T19:36:00.000-07:00

I love it when golden moments slip into a rather uneventful yet stressful day.

This morning my doorbell rang. I thought it was the FedEx person. But no!! It was my mailman and he was nice AND he had a package for me. The return address was from The Purple Purl. Were they sending me back my Vine Lace Vest? NOOOOO!!! They sent me a "hey we miss you and heard you couldn't open your box of yarn yet" package. *wipes away tears of joy*

Malabrigo sock yarn. Soooooock yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarn. AND I'M ROLLING AROUND IN IT RIGHT NOOOOOOOOW. Weee! Thank you, ladies, for thinking of me in my dire time! And as if the yarn wasn't enough, I stumbled upon this on my friend Allyn's LJ:

nataliedee.com
click here if you can't read it

Heeeeeee!

a long time coming...

2008-08-30T23:49:00.000-07:00

Too tired to talk about these now. I'm a little afraid that if I don't mention them now they won't ever get mentioned... at least not until the end of the year when I do my round up. Ravelry deets here.

Oh lordy

2008-08-28T21:04:00.000-07:00

Sorry I've been quiet but I'm having a time with the amount of boxes that are still unpacked. Not to mention that our furniture isn't reeeeeally quite fitting in the new space. And we've had a bit of a heatwave. I have no window covers so the place heats up like an oven. If you're imaging lots of gnashing of teeth, pulling of hair and cursing of words than you are... well... right.

If you've sent me an email I promise that I will respond. Some day. And if you haven't sent me an email, and you'd like to, I promise to get back to you as well. As soon as I have my sanity back. Seriously. I promise. Stop laughing.

half of an FO

2008-08-20T20:05:00.000-07:00

I still love these socks...

R.I.P In The Loop Café

2008-08-16T09:53:00.001-07:00

It's official. In The Loop Café has shut it's doors for good. *sniff!*

Improving my photography...

2008-08-15T08:46:00.000-07:00

Michelle and I are "taking" an online photography course. I put taking in quotes because it's free and it's not really being taught. It's just an archive of a class that was given in the past. However it seems very comprehensive and presented in a way that maybe even I can grasp onto the more complicated aspects of the camera's inner workings. ("Whah?," you say, "It's not magic?!" I know. I said the same thing.)

Anyhoo, I've completed the first lesson. Clicky on the photo above to go to my flickr set. I'd love for you to poke around, see what you like and make some comments. I'm really curious as to what people think without knowing what I working to improve. (No pressure, really.) I'm also hoping that making my homework public will motivate me to continue with the lessons!

Sesame Street love (continued)!

2008-08-13T10:48:00.000-07:00

Beth shared her love of Sesame Street highlighted by Fiest singing a little ditty a couple days ago. That started me into a Sesame Street watching black hole. After spending too much time watching puppets and humans interacting and not doing much of anything else I find it important that you watch LL Cool J (Mr. LL Cool J + Elmo == frieeeends!) and Neil Patrick Harris (he's got shooooooes!) do what they do best... BEING ADORABLE!

A WIP that is not causing me grief...

2008-08-12T07:49:00.000-07:00

I love this sock pattern!

I'm coming back to Toronto!

2008-08-11T13:11:00.000-07:00

You didn't think I'd miss Michelle's wedding, did you?!

I'm arriving Thursday, October 30th, and staying for a full week.

Who's gotta couch I can crash on?!

:D

The Mannequin Garden

2008-08-11T07:14:00.000-07:00

As mentioned in my previous post, the sublet's garden:

I made it (a delayed post)!

2008-08-10T09:51:00.000-07:00

I know it's been over a week since I left Toronto and arrived in San Francisco and I apologize for not posting sooner. This past week had been full of stuff to do. Not any kind of exciting stuff but just stuff. Stuff that kept me from posting. Plus we didn't have a good internet connection until Thursday. I know, you're saying, "But it's Sunday!" Well, I'm getting good at procrastinating. And I haven’t seen Paul in two months, so I’ve been a little distracted!

My last couple weeks in TO was AWESOME! I got a lot of support from the knitters – from keeping me calm to helping me pack – and I can’t thank them enough. But I’ll try!

Dear Toronto Knitters,

You are an amazing group. You took me in and made me feel loved. And when I told you I was leaving you were sad but still loved me and helped me keep my shit together. Even though I am now far away I feel as if I have friends for life. I can only humbly say, “Thank you.”

Sincerely,
Jacquie

Okay, I’ll try not to turn this post into a wet hankie affair! I’m going to dry my eyes with some photos! (Not actually with the photos but you get the idea.) First off, a party was hosted for Michelle to build up her wedding bouquet. For a couple hours we sat around sipping wine and knitting roses. Who knew such a quick knit would be so satisfying and addictive? (Michelle, I was able to squeeze one more out of the angora I had left!)

And on the day before I left, I got to have some serious face time with Sandi and her new babeh, Presley. Can I tell you how smitten I am with that kitten? The knitters know how to make ‘em cute and this one is no exception. Plus I got to ogle Michelle’s new haircut and eat some of the best take-out sushi in the whole wide world. It was an awesome last meal. Thankfully the move didn’t kill me and it wasn’t actually my last meal.

The biggest stress I think I had during this whole move was my one-way flight to SF. It wasn't the flight itself but that I was traveling with the cat. That I never flew with before. I drove her from SF to TO for the move that happened less than three years ago and she did just fine. Airports and airplanes are another story. I'm happy to report she wasn’t the one who caused any incidents. Me on the other hand… I decided that it was a good idea to spill an entire cup of water on the passenger sitting next to me at the beginning of the flight. Go, me! (It was only water. I don't know why he was so cranky!)

Anyhoo, Paul, the cat and I are in a sublet (that has mannequins posed near the plants in the backyard garden) until the end of August and then we get to move into our own little slice of heave in the Lower Haight. We hope that this is the last time we move for a looooong while. Although I have to admit we haven't officially signed the papers. Hopefully I’m not jinxing anything. And for those of you who know about the housing situation, the New Zealanders got their loan so we're not moving to the top floor. Oh well, you win some you lose some. We’re still getting a pretty awesome place.

And I’ll end this post with some pictures that I took last Sunday. The many errands that we had to run took us all over the city. Sometimes MUNI decides it doesn’t want to run very often (even though the schedule says otherwise). Sunday afternoon was one of those days. We decided we didn’t want to wait 25 minutes for the next bus so we walked. And our walk took us through Golden Gate Park. When we arrived at the band shell we discovered an orchestra/big band/gaggle of musicians playing their last song. What a delight!

PS: I sent out an email to those I had email addresses for with my new contact info. If you didn’t get it check your spam. If it’s not there, email me and I will resend. :D

Holy crappers! An FO!!1!

2008-07-26T09:10:00.000-07:00

I guess I've been more distracted with the move than I thought. Looking on my Ravelry I noticed that I haven't had a proper knitted FO since the end of April.

I've had many false starts with new projects but they have all pretty much been thrown in the FAIL pile (Bloody Flesh Scarf, anyone?). This project I would pick up work like a fiend for a bit, get bored, try another project and then come back to it. It was a very quick knit and I'm sure I could have finished it much sooner. But I didn't. In it's defense it's not a boring knit. (It's me, Vine Lace Vest, not you!)

VINE LACE VEST

Started: May 20, 2008
Completed: July 22, 2008
Pattern:Vine Lace Vest by Cecily Glowik
Yarn: Fibranatura Mermaid
Color: Turkish Tile
Skeins: 5
Needles: 4mm(6US) & 5.5mm (9US) Knitpicks Options
Notes: Didn't make any modifications and the yarn seemed to be a near perfect substitution. Although my picked up stitches around the back of the neck look slightly like ass.

Thanks to Amy for her mad photo skillz (even though I don't know how to put on a vest) and The Purple Purl for letting me get "fierce" in their store.

You know you're about to move when...

2008-07-25T07:06:00.002-07:00

all your knitting supplies are packed up.

Friday night's Knitty Rountable - space available

2008-07-24T19:15:00.003-07:00

I understand that a few spots have opened up at Knitty's Yarn Roundtable this Friday (July 25th). Call the Purple Purl to secure a seat at 416-463-1162!

Garage sale - Saturday 9am-2pm

2008-07-17T14:21:00.002-07:00

Since I still don't have a place to live in SF, I decided to have a garage sale. The fun is happening this Saturday (the 19th) between 9am and 2pm. There will be lots of stuff. Come by and say hi and help me lighten my load. Sadly, there will be no yarn for sale. Thankfully (for me) that is light and fairly easy to carry.

SF ticket bought...

2008-07-16T07:37:00.004-07:00

Look out San Francisco, I'm heading your way August 1st.

Now to jam all the fun stuff I can here in Toronto and still get everything ready for the movers in time.

Free to help me this Saturday?

2008-07-15T13:33:00.002-07:00

I was thinking of having a garage sale buuuuuuut all my peeps who thought they could help when I initially hatched the plan are all now unavailable. Is there anyone who could help me on Saturday from like 8-2? I'll buy you lunch!

Last chance to improve your knitting/crafting/blog photography!

2008-07-13T19:56:00.001-07:00

EDIT: I think all typos are fixed. I think?

For the final time, Michelle and I will be teaching our Improve your (Knitting) Photography class at In The Loop Café on Sunday, July 27th.

The official class description is below and if you're interested give In The Loop a holler at 416-652-1024 to reserve a spot. Class size is limited. Hope to see you there!

Do you wish you took better photos of your knitting? Are you tired of washed out, blurry pictures of projects that you put hours and hours of hard work into? Are you confused by the buttons and features on your digital camera? Do you feel like your friends point and laugh at the photos you post to your blog or Ravelry account?

Take your knitting photography to the next level with this introductory course in basic photography techniques. Anyone can learn to take beautiful photos of their knitting and other craft projects, and you don't need a fancy or expensive camera to do it! In this hands-on course you will learn the basics of:

* Composition
* Lighting
* Focus

Bring your camera, the user manual (if possible) and a small knit project or two to practice on.

A looooong overdue thank you...

2008-07-12T21:48:00.000-07:00

So I've been on the coast and in the desert of So. Cal. to help my employer with some riveting market research for the last week which has made it virtually impossible to blog about the most aweseomest par-tay. The coolest thing? It was for me!!

On July 4th (how fitting, eh?), the knitters of Toronto gave me an amazing send off at The Purple Purl organized by the delightful Lady Lung Doc. The party wasn't a surprise (especially since my work threw a wrench into the party cogs) but I have to say the turnout was. I really felt the love. And the biggest surprise? The community afghan! I didn't take any photos but Michelle has a great recap (and the most adorable picture of me that I've seen in a long time... ok, maybe ever).

There was lots of almost crying from me. I was proud that I was able to keep it together enough that I didn't start blubbering all over the place.... cuz that's what I do when I'm met with any type of happy/sad emotional situation... the waterworks start. I hope that everyone that was there felt the love back. I am so happy that I found this amazing group of folks. You are seriously some of the nicest people I have ever met. I'm devastated that I'm leaving such an amazing community. I am seriously going to miss EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU!!!!!! As I've said before (and I really mean it) you are all welcome to crash on my couch/Aerobed® when we have a place to call our own - which at this moment feels like never but that is another post for another time.

A giganto shout out goes to the Lady Lung Doc herself. (Wootwoot!) Check out her flickr set of the afghan and if you contributed a square than make a note on one of the close up shots she's got going. I want to know who did what square(s)!

Also a big thanks goes out to Jen and Miko for always making the Purple Purl the most welcoming place on earth.

And hugs to everyone who came to the party!

Ok, now I'm gonna go cry. But it's a good cry, I promise! *sniff!*

PS: If you're in TO, I'm hosting my last knitting at the HOS on Sunday (the 20th). Drop me a note if you need the deets.

Happy Fourth of July!!

2008-07-04T05:57:00.003-07:00

As many of you know I'm an American living in Canada, so even though this pic wasn't technically taken on the fourth or in America it is still fireworks. And I love the fireworks. It's great that I can celebrate two fireworks happy holidays in a weeks span - even if one of them is in spirit.

Happy (belated) Canada Day!

2008-07-01T23:26:00.002-07:00

So an FO and a frog walk into a bar...

2008-06-26T15:45:00.003-07:00

GOOD NEWS: Michelle helped me finish the (OMG!!1!ponies) dragon PJs and they are more adorable than I could have ever imagined. Thanks Michelle, for being a sewing rock star!

BAD NEWS: My "Lace On a MFing Plane" scarf has been frogged. The reason being? It was unanimously voted as looking like bloody flesh.

Spinning at The Purple Purl (a shameless plug!)

2008-06-25T09:40:00.000-07:00

My friend Lorraine is teaching two spinning related classes in July. If you haven't taken a class from this spinning genius than you should! Contact the Purple Purl at 416-463-1162 or check out their official class schedule here.

“More, better, faster—spindle like you mean it”

Saturday, July 12: 9:30am-12:30pm

This workshop is designed for spinners who have made yarn before (at least a little), and are ready to use their spindles to become effective, productive, happy spinners. The focus will be on greater control of the process and therefore increased opportunities for creativity. We will explore the fundamentals of different spindles, drafting techniques, and plying options, creating a range of their own singles and two ply yarns. The intention is to minimize effort (or in some cases, anguish) and reveal beautiful, practical yarns with the gentle turn of the spindle.

Note: While we will explore a range of spindle types, participants will need a balanced, high-whorl spindle for this workshop.

Cost - $65.00***
Class materials included: various different fibres and preparations of fiber!
Instructor: Lorraine Smith

Re-invent your wheel (spinning)

Saturday, July 19: 9:30am-12:30pm

This three-hour session will help you develop good habits to consistently create the yarn you want. Emphasis will be placed on fibre preparation, drafting techniques and wheel mechanics that can work to your advantage. If you have been making the same yarn over and over, or if you find the yarn "just does stuff" without your wanting it to, this is the session for you. It's time to remember why you fell in love with spinning: not just for the pretty wheel, but for the gorgeous yarns you can make with it.

Note: You must bring their own spinning wheel to class...after all, it is your own wheel you need to do precisely what you want!

Cost - $65.00***
Class materials included: All fibres for class work will be provided.
Instructor: Lorraine Smith

I'm back!

2008-06-24T22:27:00.001-07:00

San Francisco was wonderful! Unfortunately I don't have much to say about the flat we're looking to buy so probably best you don't ask. Or if you ask, don't be surprised if I kinda shuffle my feet and exhale heavily. It's not you... it's the situation. I promise!

However, I will try to sum up the best I can here. We're still in negotiations and it seems that we will be in negotiations for a while. Not fun! I mean, we have a LOT to figure out before we can even consider ourselves in the homestretch. But we did accomplish quite a bit in a short amount of time: we had the inspection, met the other potential (uncooperative) buyers and learned that there is a stubborn-as-hell/disillusioned tenant in the first floor that is going to throw everything into flaming tailspin. But besides all that, I did have time to have a good time.

I started a new project that I call "Lace on a Motherf#cking Plane." But I think the official pattern name is Wabenshal.

Yes, it looks like a g-string but I promise it is not. This was taken at the beginning of my first leg out of Toronto. I've done a lot more but not as much as I would have liked. There was a bit of unknitting and cussing. Hence the name I gave it.

Just as a side note, I have a new fascination with sitting in the window seat. I've been an aisle seat girl for quite a long time. I guess since I've been flying so much in the last two years, my actual fear of flying has started to diminish - which I guess is good as I like not getting rammed by the food/drink cart all throughout the trip! Anyways, I loved these cloud formations and I wanted to share.

Things I did while in town:

- checked out SF Opera's Lucia di Lammermoor FREE simulcast in AT&T Park and got to hang out with my very good friend.
- went to the SFMOMA and elbowed my way through the Frida Kahlo exhibit
- danced to afrobeat at the Stern Grove Festival
- ate awesome food with more good friends

I know you're probably like, "Ummmmm...that doesn't look like food." But it is. And it was deelish. It was "white chicken and sausage in a tomato curry sauce" with french fries. Don't ask me what the actual German name was because I definitely don't know. But I will say that if you ever find yourself in Hayes Valley on a Sunday morning you should run to Suppenküche for hearty (or heartstopping) German food that will make you cry like a baby. It's that good.

Oh, and their beer list will make even make this man want to come to brunch EVERY Sunday.

Who wouldn't be impressed?!

2008-06-15T22:59:00.003-07:00

more cat pictures

Thanks, Paul!

OMG fat dragons blowing fire!!!1!

2008-06-15T05:19:00.000-07:00

Michelle is teaching me how to sew!

I was helping Michelle look at patterns/fabric for her wedding dress, and I spied this totally cute flannel. After I became completely smitten she said she would teach me how to make jammie pants. I bought all that they had in stock and luckily it was just enough to complete the pattern. (Although they may be a weeeee short. But who cares?! They're jammie pants!) The pants were started last week and they are still in progress. This was just a small sample I brought home to petandsqueezeandcallgeorge.

WWKIPD!

2008-06-14T20:52:00.005-07:00

Today was World Wide Knit In Public Day! And I think I knit about a total of 15 minutes in public while on the longest streetcar ride from one side of the city to the other. But I had lots of knit-like fun.

Looky that hottie who's in front of the lens. Woooot! That's Franklin adding me to his "1,000 Knitters" project. Although making faces like that I may have gotten myself cut from the whole project. Hey, it looks like I'm doing some knitting there though! Cool. Thanks to the Yarn Harlot and Rachel H for making Franklin's trip possible. And thanks for the prizes! Totally awesome.

Then I wandered (this is where the long streetcar ride came in) over to the little park next to The Purple Purl for a little hanging out at their KIPD. And Fenner decided to bop around without any pants on soooooooooo I took some pictures. Awwww, how cute! Baby bum!

Then I had to get home and wait for a call from my real estate agent back in SF. I got great news and it looks as if the Hubs and I are buying in San Francisco! We have 10 days to confirm and in that time weneed to get an inspection, meet the other buyers (it's a TIC, after all... uhhh, I know it's confusing) and make sure some things can be done before we ACTUALLY sign our names on the dotted line. It seems like we are on our way to an address on the other end - even if it's just a partial piece of property. Yippee! More info later once we do actually get it. I'm in SF next weekend.

Show me the progress!

2008-06-13T07:10:00.004-07:00

Hey, this is a knitting blog right?! The last time I gave an actual knitting report it was back in March. Unfortunately I don't have any FOs to show off but at least I do have a few things on the needles. With everything going on it's hard to find time for them but I am plugging away. So, it's time for a little show and tell:

I started this at the end of April and even though it's a brainless knit it's too heavy to carry around with me. Made out of Dye-Version's Chunky Cotton (colour: Smoke) which I bought at last year's DKC Knitter's Frolic. I love the subtle colour change between the black, silver and mint. I'm not a big fan of cotton because of its splittiness but I do like the feel of this yarn after it's knit up - it has a really silky smooth feel. And it smells yummy! Maybe from the dye? Once I couldn't carry it with me on the TTC I lost interest in working on it and so it's been sitting around since then. In addition, in it's unfinished state it doesn't photograph very well. Good news is I'm very close to being done. What will the be when finished? A wrap. Hopefully.

This project I'm very excited about. If I could only manage this simple lace pattern! The yarn (Firbra Natura Mermaid) at first didn't thrill me but the more I worked with it the more I loved it. It's soft, light and has a great depth of colour (Turkish Tile - how exotic!). I can't wait for it to be done. However I've done as much unknitting as I've done knitting. But that's okay! It's a vest, right?! It won't take THAT much more time. I guess.

a new look...

2008-06-12T16:16:00.000-07:00

Could it be because I'm moving back to California? Or the hotter than Hades days we had earlier in the week?

Either way, I have a new 'do.

Stephen Colbert & HNIC Theme

2008-06-11T10:27:00.002-07:00

For the love of god, watch this:

"Punching beavers in the face!"

My love for Thriller continues

2008-06-10T05:43:00.001-07:00

And it comes in the form of a scrappy duo of ordinary dudes on Britain's Got Talent. Even Simon can't help but to smile!

Knitty Yarn Roundtable - this Friday!

2008-06-09T14:00:00.001-07:00

It's not too late to join in the yarny goodness that is the Knitty Yarn Roundtable at the Purple Purl on Friday, June 13th, at 7:00pm. Go to the official blogsite to register!

REMINDER - Knitting/Blog Photography Class!

2008-06-08T16:45:00.001-07:00

Just a reminder that Michelle and I will be teaching our ever popular Improve your (Knitting) Photography class at In The Loop Café NEXT Sunday, June 16th. If you're interested give In The Loop a holler at 416-652-1024. Class size is limited. Hope to see you there!

House of Sammon - SOLD!

2008-06-08T09:08:00.003-07:00

Actually it was sold last week but the experience was faaaaaaar from ideal. A friend did say to me that "sometimes done is better than perfect" and those sound like good words to live by. I wish I could say it went to someone who will continue the knitting traditions but sadly it was sold to someone who I don't think knits at all.

Anyway, I'm sure you're dying to know how much longer I will be in this fine city of Toronto? Close date is August 1st, so that probably means I'll be leaving a few days before that. That should allow one or two more knit dates at the House of Sammon. Will keep you posted!

House of Sammon - 4 sale!

2008-05-26T09:45:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how behind I am on posting to this here blog. Lordy! I've been overwhelmed with The Big Move and the fact that I'm pretty addicted to Wii and Michelle is a bad influence. Anyway, if you're interested in checking out the House of Sammon you can contact my agent for a viewing. We're taking offers on Wednesday. The listing is here. Wish me luck!