UFO #2

And, by the skin of my teeth, the second installment of the UFO Resurrection project.
This is We Call Them Pirates from Hello Yarn. I started it for the Man around November and promptly got more interested in knitting some fingerless mitts for myself. He says he really wants to wear the hat before it gets too warm... so I have some time. We don't get 'real' summer around here until October.
Now that I've put my mind to it, though, it shouldn't take too long.

Don't come here looking for knitting...

Cuz you're not going to get it today.

The man is gone for the long weekend. Not that this is exciting in itself (love you sweetie), it's just that I get to do what I want ALL weekend. Nice.

So, I've been knitting, catching up on bloglines, cleaning, making cookies, watching movies, listening to Alison Krauss, and just having an all around good time by myself.

I won't give you the recipe. You'll have to ask Martha.

But, I will give you the recipe for something much more exciting and worthwhile.

Ok, here goes.

Are you ready?

Mom Riley's Homemade Kahlua - I told you it would be worthwhile...

1pt brandy (or 1 cup brandy and 1 cup vodka)

2 cups hot water

4 cups sugar

1 vanilla bean

2 oz instant coffee (not freeze dried)

Mix coffee and sugar together in 1/2 gallon jug. Add water and mix well. Add brandy and vanilla bean.

Seal and keep in a dark, cool place for 30 days.

Enjoy!!

We keep ours in this

which always makes me feel like I'm drinking moonshine. So, make this and let me know how it is around St. Patrick's day or so. Super yummy, I promise.

SP 9 wrap-up

Now that Secret Pal 9 has been over for two weeks, I feel that it's finally time to do the wrap up.

I had such a blast!! My spoiler was awesome, and I really enjoyed spoiling my spoilee. (Wow. That was quite the sentence.)

I was spoiled by Kathy of oldladypenpal.wordpress.com. Kathy, thank you so much for everything. All that yarn, and all that chocolate?!? And the book, and the gift certificate! You are too awesome! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!

And I spoiled Jena of yarnharpy.livejournal.com. I hope her last package arrived safely.

Kimono, by popular demand

My sitemeter referrals are showing high demand for this FO. Therefore, without futher ado, I present the Sundara Yarn Tatami Kimono.

Pattern: Tatami Kimono from Sundara

Yarn: Sundara's Sport Merino in Drunken Plum (color evidently no longer available)
Mods: I made I-cord for the ties. The pattern calls for crocheted chains, but my crochet skills are not to be trusted, even for something so simple.

Started 12/28/06.

Finished 2/11/07.

Don't let the dates fool you - this was a pretty quick knit. It languished with only one seam finished, and no ties for over a month. The dropped stitches greatly increase the size of the sweater, and decrease the actual amount of knitting done. Think of it as a clapotis in sweater form! The construction is very clever, as it's knit all in one piece from the back, up and over the shoulders, split for the front, and ends at the bottom front. Seaming is minimal (yay!)
I love the colors in this yarn. Every skein was different, and though I did knit with two skeins at a time, I still got a little pooling here and there. I found myself cheering for color changes - "No, not green yet. Come on yellow - stay with me. Just a little longer!"

All in all, a great project.

Later this week, an update on the UFO resurrection project, and a very belated SP9 reveal.

Silent Poetry Reading

Jabberwocky!

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves
And the mome raths outgrabe.

"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!"

He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought -
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought.

And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! And through and through,
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.

"And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!"
He chortled in his joy.

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves
And the mome raths outgrabe.

By Lewis Carol from Through the Looking Glass.

The linguist in me loves this poem. It's all jibberish, but so onomatopoetic that you understand what he's saying. Or, go here (under glossary) to see what he really meant.

yadda yadda yadda

It seems like many in blogland are in the doldrums... I am in a knitting frenzy - finishing projects and starting new ones, but I haven't had the drive to post about it. Ugh.

Even though it's been over a month, I'm still getting used to working 5 days a week. During my last semester of grad school, I worked 4 ten hour days, and did my practicum on the fifth day. It made for really long work days, but the day 'off' was really nice. A leisurely train ride down to Palo Alto with plenty of time to read or knit, and then a nice train ride home in the evening. And, I still got home when it was light.

Now, however, it feels like I never see the sun. When I leave for work in the morning, the sun is out but not yet over the tops of the buildings. And coming home in the dark is getting old. Can't we have Daylight Saving Time all year?

Enough whining. All of this serves as an excuse/explanation for the tardiness of this post, and for the office-y background of the pictures. I am so desperate that I brought the knitting I wanted to tell you about and my camera to work with me so that I could take pictures during lunch.

Project: Endpaper Mitts by Eunny Jang

Yarn: 1 skein each of Koigu KPPPM 1323, and KPM 2339

Needles: size 0 and 2 Clover bamboo dpns

Mods: None

My have been finished for about a week. They are wonderful! I am in love with the colors. They're certainly not perfect, but good enough for me. I love that I can wear them in my ice-box of an office and still type :) Yes, I am that big of a dork.

The second one is a smidge larger than the first. I'm sure this could be fixed with blocking, but I was so excited to wear them that I didn't bother. Maybe some day I'll worry about it.

Tatami still needs ties, so the unveiling will have to wait. The pattern calls for the ties to be a crocheted chain... I'm not so hot with a crochet hook, so I'm knitting I-cord instead.

And finally, my new project. I am making Pomatomus in Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in the Georgetown colorway. I cast on for the first sock on Friday, and I just turned the heel today. I think I'm getting the hang of this sock thing. Love it!

two things...

Saw this on Bekka's blog and couldn't resist. It took me a while, but here it is.

Two names you go by:
Risa
Hey you!

Two parts of your heritage:
German
Irish

Two things that scare you:
The Commander in Chief
Rape

Two everyday essentials:
Lancome Bienfait SPF 30 moisturizer
chapstick

Two things you are wearing right now:
Wedding ring
J.Crew velvet coat

Two of your favorite current bands/artists:
Alison Krauss & Union Station
Tina Dico

Two things you want in a relationship (other than love):
Laughter
Trust

Two truths:
I rarely wear the things I knit.
I'm scared to find a new job.

Two favorite hobbies:
Knitting (duh)
Reading

Two things you have to do this week:
Go to the dentist. (yuck)
Buy my step-mom her birthday present.

Two stores you shop at:
Noe Knit
J. Crew

Two shows you like to watch:
I don't have a TV, but we've been watching In Living Color and Freaks & Geeks on Netflix.

Two things you'd buy if money were no object:
an alpaca
a cabin in the woods

Two wishes for 2007:
I would like to try my hand at design
Try new techniques, and refine those I am already familiar with.

Ok, that's enough. If all goes well, there will be TWO FO's this week. Stay tuned!

UFO challenge #1

Frogged it!

The object in question *was* a vest of my own design. I bought the yarn and cast on about, oh, three years ago. You know a project is finished when you look at the empty size 9 spot in the Denise case and wonder, "Where are they?" - oh right. On the dead project.

I chose three cables from Volume 2 of the Harmony Guides "450 Knitting Stitches," an intricate one for the center, and two other, simpler ones repeated on each side.

Lest you think this was just a little thing thrown together, on the spur of the moment, I will show you my row by row notes. What dedication. All that planning wasted... what a pity. I still do have the notes if I ever change my mind.

Now I have a vest worth of Artfibers Papyrus in a lovely navy blue. What will I do with it?

Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose...

Today, I finally sit down to write about the new year.

While I hope to change some things about my lifestyle in this new year, I also take comfort in the continuity and stability of my situation. Last year saw the completion of many long term plans and goals (including a wedding and a graduation), and I am looking forward to the new beginnings, changes and challenges 2007 will present.

This year I will begin, not only a new job, but a new career. I will celebrate a first wedding anniversary. I will start repaying my student loans. I will be a better blogger, and take more pleasing photos of my work. I WILL switch to the new blogger as soon as they let me. And, most challenging of all, I will organize this:

Scary, isn't it?

I have joined Kat with a K's UFO Resurrection Challenge to help. And, while I won't make any promises, I will do my best to bust my stash.

In the mean time, though, I am making great progress on my Tatami Kimono.

I love this yarn! Sundara is amazing!!

Last but not least, many HUGE thanks to my wonderful SP for the gift certificate to Article Pract. I can't wait to cross the bay and go explore a new yarn store. Thank you soooo much!!!

Oh, and one more thing... A couple of people asked about the pattern for the hat I posted in my Christmas post. It is from EZ's Knitter's Almanac. You can see another example here. The pattern calls for a bobble on the top, with a pingpong ball inside to "cause hat to float in emergency..." She sounds like she was quite the character. I can't wait to get more of her books.

Success!

I apologize for the long hiatus. It was a nice holiday, even if I didn't get too many days off. A quick trip to the other coast helped me get 2007 off to a great start. Catching up with friends I haven't seen in almost 5 years, and visiting the great alma mater was a lot of fun. Pictures to come.

Anyway, I promise there is a reason for the title of this post. And it is that my little sister considers herself obsessed. She emailed me some pictures of her completed socks, and has this to say for herself:

"and by the way, i AM an obsessed knitter. its official. after one sock, i was just getting into it. But, once i did the second one i became obsessed and the days before i became a knitter are just history. ... make sure to let allyour friends know that i accomplished the impossible!"

Look, just see for yourself.


Not the greatest light, but you have to admit... those are socks! I am so proud.

Merry Christmas!!

I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday, whatever you may celebrate.
We had a quiet weekend, with just my mom and step-father in town. Mostly we ate, read and knitted...

And behold the Christmas knitting.

First up is EZ's Ganomy hat for step-dad.

This knit up really quickly and easily in Cascade 220 in a lovely blue to match his eyes. I modified the pattern so that it decreased sooner, to achieve a less pointy hat. Oh yeah, and no ping pong bobble on the top...

Next, my pride and joy. Knitty's Hedera socks in Sundara yarn Somewhat Solid sock yarn in Slate over Pink. If you haven't knit this pattern, do it now! It is so well written and easy to follow, you can't help but end up with perfect looking socks. Really.
Well, at least if you read the pattern. You'll note below that the toe on the left is shorter than the toe on the right. Duh. It says to decrease every other row... which I did on the second sock, but not the first. So I had to rip that little bit back and fix. No biggie, but still dumb.

The man has clued in to my obsession, and got me just what I wanted for Christmas. Sundara's Tatami Kimono sweater pattern and enough yarn in colorway Drunken Plum to complete it. Yay! (Please forgive the craptastic kitchen photo. Does the sun ever come out?)

You may also have observed the lovely, freshly wound, center-pull balls I'm showing off... My mom gave me a beautiful wooden swift and a ball-winder. I think they've given up hope of ever seeing me again...

My wonderful secret pal also sent me something. Two skeins of yummy wool (sorry I don't have it in front of me, I will edit later.) and the funniest book I've ever read. I was reading some of it to my mom this weekend and we were laughing so hard we cried. Not kidding. Because it's all true. Frighteningly true.

Thank you so much Pal!!

And one more thing, and then I'll stop for now.

I finished my first mitt. Or hand sock, as the man calls it. I can't wait to finish the other. They are so warm and cozy, and they fit perfectly. Like a glove, if you will. If I really rush, I might be able to finish before my trek east over the weekend.

And the obligatory gut shot.

Thank you all for the kind words of congratulation about my graduation. It's very exciting, but hasn't really sunk in yet! I think once I find a job in a library, it will feel more 'real.'

Donesky.

Yep, it's finally true. I finished grad school!!!!

Thursday was my big presentation at my practicum location, which went wonderfully! It sparked a really interesting conversation, and the librarians brought up so many good points that I hadn't thought of. The project overall was a little tedious at times, but overall very worthwhile. I'm glad I had the opportunity to work at such a prestigious institution, and I hope that my efforts will be helpful.

Now, I just have to decide what to do with all this time on my hands. No more crazy work hours! All the time in the world to knit! Just have to find a 'real' job!

And, almost as exciting, I have officially finished my Christmas knitting. More next weekend, after the presents are unwrapped.

Obsessed Knitter in the making...

I had family in town over the weekend, and am now truly convinced that one day my little sister will be obsessed with knitting, just like me.

They arrived Friday night, and I was proudly showing off the %&(*%#(&*% that I made for a family member for Christmas. (Sorry, edited for holiday surprise. You never know who's lurking on your blog...) Sister was so impressed that she decided she needed to knit a sock. Just one.

So, Saturday afternoon we headed up to Noe Knit, and bought her some size 2 dpns and a skein of Lana Grossa Mellenweit.

No, she's never knit in the round, picked up stitches, or grafted a toe, or even decreased or increased stitches, and I had to remind her how to purl, but she has the drive to learn. I know she can do it.

However, she does need a little bit of training still to become completely obsessed, as I am. We were in the store, and I picked up a gorgeous skein of Manos del Uraguay. She looked at me like I had lost my mind and said, "Did you just SMELL that yarn?" Someday she'll understand.

Just a reminder

A terrible tragedy was discovered today. After 11 days, James Kim was found dead in a forest in Oregon.

Please be careful, and tell those close to you how much you love them.

Up next...

Done! (with Netflix for scale)

Pattern: Elegantly simple baby blanket from heartstringsfiberarts.com

Needles: Size 8 Denise circs

Yarn: Bernat Baby Coordinates

I can't believe this took sooooo long!
























Up next, Christmas presents galore, which I cannot share yet... and these.

Swallowtail finished

Another FO here at Librarian Knits!!

Pattern: Swallowtail Shawl from Fall 2006 Interweave Knits
Yarn: Joseph Galler Prime Alpaca - ivory? natural?
Needles: Size 4 Inox 24" circulars

I had a few problems getting started with this pattern. I haven't knit much lace, and at the beginning I didn't know what it should look like. So, when I screwed something up, I would end up ripping back two or three rows... Once I got a rhythm though, it was smooth sailing, and a pretty quick knit.

Up next - the finished baby blanket!!

Today is a good day!

YES!

YES!!!

YES!!!!!

Today is such a great day!

Jaywalker!

Oh boy! A happy Halloween to you, and a FO for your viewing pleasure...

I am very pleased with these. My first socks! The second one must be a little smaller than the first, since I didn't run out of yarn. In fact, I have this much left:

Pattern: Grumperina's Jaywalkers, larger size
Yarn: Artyarns Ultramerino 4, colorway 127
Needles: Size 1 Susan Bates Quicksilver (set of 4) and 1 Brittany 5" dpn
No modifications

SP9!!

My secret pal is the best!! I got this package on Friday! It was a skein of Noro (am I spoiled or what??), some yummy smelling 'sea grass' candles, 4 beatiful stitch markers, peppermint chocolates (all gone!), and a card with some yarn from something she's making me!!

I am so lucky :) I hope my pal likes what I'm getting her half as much as I like what I got...

MUST. HAVE.

So, I'm toodling around the web and just found this awesome blog, and the most perfect jacket.

It's from Phildar Tendances #456 (Autumn 06).

I. Must. Have!