Hurray for the Interwebs

It has been far, far too long since I was able to blog. For two weeks, I've had no internet at home. Not that it would have mattered- my laptop died (hard), followed a few days later by my desktop. The laptop is still a hunk of useless plastic right now, but the desktop has miraculously come back from the dead. When I pay off my couch... I'll think about that MacBook Pro I want so badly. In the meantime, I'm back online, I have a working CPU, and I have a few things to show! I did not do much knitting in the past two weeks... I packed, I moved, I unpacked, and I went to bed REAL early. But I did manage to block Hanami before I left the old place, and I got a few action shots at the Tidal Basin during the Cherry Blossom Festival. If only it had been 10 (or 30) degrees warmer. I made it to the Yarn Party in Takoma Park today, which was delightful- but I'll blog that a bit later. And I didn't stop knitting entirely these past weeks- I started what is looking to be one brilliantly pretty shawl. In the meantime, I present Hanami!

The requisite blocking photos




I wanted to model it over a pretty little black dress. My big black jacket will have to do for this year.


One last photo for the road. He didn't want his picture taken, but I think he looks adorable in front of the blossoms. Don't you?

Three years gone...

How did I not notice that I passed my three-year blogging anniversary? In January. Apparently I don't pay attention to these things.

This makes me happy, because looking back at my (much older and less frequent) posts, I am struck by how much has changed. I finish things more quickly now, when I decide to actually work on them. I don't think I still have anything on the needles from back then, except for a crocheted tablecloth I'm not sure I'll ever finish. I guess now that I've stolen my parents' round table, I have more reason to work on it. Most striking, however, is how much my skillset has grown in the intervening years. I learned to knit continental, and realized that I still knit faster and tidier English, but I can use both hands for fair isle. People who tell you continental is faster may be true for themselves, but I think I'm sticking with my right hand, thank you very much. I have done lots of interesting colorwork, finished some really wearable stuff, and made probably too many knitted gifts. I've learned about errors in sizing and gauge, and continued to blissfully ignore the gauge swatch 90 percent of the time. I've knit a ginormous sweater for a coworker (no boyfriend curse there!), and I've knit a medium-sized sweater for a former boy (in that case, the curse did apply). I am a confident cabler, willing to take on the most intricate aran. Burridge, I'm looking at you. I hope to buy the yarn for that sucker after I pay off my new sofa. Oh, and I also became obsessed with lace. Expect more of that to come.

Did I mention I bought a sofa? Knitters need some serious equipment to be good at our craft- the right needles, the right yarn, decent lighting, and a comfortable but supportive seat. My old sofa wasn't doing so much for me on that last account. It was a La-Z-Boy convertible sofa, and although it was fairly comfortable, it just couldn't stand up to marathon knitting sessions anymore. I bought it for seventy-five dollars in grad school, from a girl who quit the program a year before I did, and it was a very happy couch for about four years. My (now former) roommate has it, and I'm sure it will serve her well. The bed is surprisingly cushy, in fact. But I figured with my new apartment, a real city-style efficiency, it is time to get rid of the inherited furniture and grow up a bit. I may still have an Ikea bedroom set- which I LOVE, by the way, thank you very much. And I may have crappy-as-heck bookshelves which I'd love to replace but can't afford to. But I can make an enormous change in the look of my apartment with a new sofa. It is the perfect sofa. Apparently furniture stores of a certain class don't say "couch" anymore... I find this funny. After checking out a few places, and debating the merits of leather over microfiber, I went with the most inexpensive expensive sofa I could find. West Elm was too cushy and too wide, Sam's Club too old-fashioned (though good on prices), but BoConcept in Georgetown had exactly the right mix of funky modern and not being $3000-5000 (I'm looking at you, Restoration Hardware and Crate & Barrel). I paid the price of perfection by going over budget, having to select microfiber, and waiting 12 weeks. But my sofa? Perfect. Comfortable to sit on, but firm enough to stand up to knitting for 14 hours in a day (did I say 14? I meant... some number that doesn't make me sound like a lazy slug). I hope to keep it for 5-10 years or more, and I just couldn't justify getting something that I wasn't completely in love with. I am disappointed to have to wait until frikkin JUNE... but this gives me an excellent excuse to enjoy my new efficiency, and watch TV from bed. Snuggling under the covers to watch movies for three months probably won't kill me.

I pick up my keys Friday afternoon. I am ridiculously excited. Life is good! Now to bed, so I can get up and pack my little heart out. And freecycle my life away.

That's my only other little tidbit- I'm apparently going to be interviewed about freecycling. They're even sending a real photographer. This should be entertaining- I've been interviewed for various things before, and generally come across as vapid. I don't know if I am actually that inane in real life, or if there is a law that editing newspaper and tv news requires taking out all pertinent details so the interviewee looks like a silly person... it's a toss-up.

Fun when moving

I haven't had a lot of fun time lately- lots of writing for work, and packing, and trying to read a bit, and of course I have another work essay to write by this Sunday and I have to finish packing by next Thursday.

What fun time I've had, though, has mostly been knitting. Still haven't blocked Hanami (for shame! I should do that this weekend). I did finish the first Kaffe sock, and I've finished the cuff of the second. I'm making them not matching. On purpose. Something about the fun stripes leads me to believe that if I make them the same, they will lose a bit of their eclectic cool. I want them to not match up. Me, the incredibly anal knitter. If I hate it once I get to the heel, I could always rip them out and make them match... but I doubt I'll be tempted.

Autumn Rose has been sitting neglected ever since I started these socks. I have this dream that I'll finish packing almost everything on Saturday, and write my paper then, too, so Sunday I can sit around and watch Netflix and knit. I know reality isn't going to allow any of that to happen, but I can dream!

I went to see Live at the 9:30 Club last night. It was a stellar show- the opener was surprisingly talented, and I'm still in love with Live. They played some great hits from their back catalog, and stayed away from playing too much of the recent stuff (which, realistically, isn't why their fan base goes to see them). The crowd was so different to me than the usual 9:30 Club fare. I usually feel like I'm the only boring normal late-20-something at that venue, surrounded by cool cats and hipsters and skinny girls in skinny jeans. Live fans seem to trend a decade or two older than that, and let me just say that I felt kinda thin. And oh boy, I'm not thin. I'm not judging, I should note... it was actually very refreshing to look around the crowd at a rock show and go "wow, I fit in here." Usually I feel like a bit of an interloper- I'm just not cool enough for the nifty indie bands I love. Music transcends age, but it definitely is part of a moment. I'm glad Live's moment has been going on for a decade and a half. After all, this was my third or fourth time seeing them, and every time I'm more impressed with their talents and the vocals and the rock'n'roll soul they share so willingly with the audience. Over 1100 people showed up.

My only complaint is with myself. I remembered my camera (for once)... but I didn't charge the battery, so it died after one photo of the opening band. I'm a terrible photographer, less due to skill and more due to idiocy! So it goes.

Embarrassing photos?

My buddy Dallas has been posting embarrassing photos from her childhood. I thought it might be fun, but apparently all my photos from my youth are already packed for the move. Darn!

I can do almost as well, however, with some old time photos I found while packing. While I scanned them, I noticed a few entertaining trends. Let's see if you can point them out, too! And maybe this is almost as bad as my terrible 80s fashion choices, after all, nice girls don't dress up as flappers and wave guns around throughout their adolescence and early adulthood.

First up is my group portrait of all the kids from my hometown who went to All State NH when I was a freshman in high school. We posed with our teacher, who was terribly bothered that we saw her tattoo. It didn't seem like a very big deal to us, since we were the 15 year olds posing with booze bottles.


Next, and relatively soon after that one, was a portrait of me and my best friend/sometimes boyfriend from that time period. Ah, Steve. He's all grown up and married and home-owning. I... am none of these things. But I love him anyways.


The next trip on memory lane is an old-time photo of me and my two best buds from high school, Susan and Betsy. They're twins (as may be self-evident), but they are quite unique personalities. Betsy married a Brit and is happily enjoying life in England, and Susan is a librarian in Boston. We don't keep in touch much, but with the wonders of the internets nobody is that far removed anymore.


The last stop on our trip is a bit more recent- maybe college-time or a bit afterwards. My best friend from UMBC, Paul, is a huge Weird Al fan. We drove down to King's Dominion (I believe? Some amusement park anyways) to see the wackiest rock star perform. The show was a hoot, but the best part is always the old time photos. Paul was a sport about it, and in the end I think he thought it was more entertaining than I did.


Things to note:
- I always hold a gun or the booze
- The roaring 20's is not a good look for busty girls. We just look chunky. Wild Wild West? Much better.
- My hair has been many different lengths, and it looks for CRAP at chin-length. Best at shoulder or so. It's way too darn long now (below the bra strap and counting)
- My hair goes in phases. Brownish, to light brownish, to OH MY that's BLONDE. Lucky for me, the sepia tones don't betray any traces of burgundy. My hair has had some fun in its time, let's just leave it at that.
- I looked really old at 15, and now I look like a kid. Where is the justice?
- I don't actually smile in most old-time photos, but in regular photos my grin is ginormous and a bit frightening. See?

I took Kaffe to the hockey game

And all I got was a beer and some french fries. I love our corporate box, and I really love that nobody was there who minded me knitting.

The Capitals scored two goals before I even got back from buying french fries (let's just say I had a food emergency). And they continued to DESTROY my poor Bruins the whole night. It was a bad night for a Boston fan. I didn't mind, of course, since with knitting in hand, nothing seems too disastrous.


My Kaffe sock looked quite happy to be at the game


And we both particularly enjoyed the beer! I am normally a wine and liquor person, but there's something about grease and beer and sporting events that dovetail perfectly.

E is for Exploring

I like finding new and interesting places, and I like taking vacations to random places. It always ends up going well, though there's usually a scary bit. Like when I explored a borie in Provence, in the middle of a multi-hour hike in the middle of nowhere, after taking a bus out of Aix-en-Provence to a random small town. So small the bus driver was very concerned that I didn't mean to go there- and was entirely surprised that I answered his concerns in French, and with determination. I did the hike, and did get pretty badly lost. But I got to run along the TGV track, walk through olive groves gnarled and green. They look so much like vineyards, only heartier and more earth-bound. This is my only proof of the whole exploration expedition- one lousy photo of a borie. It was entirely worth it. And I didn't miss my bus back, miraculously- it wasn't quite warm enough to sleep outside in the olive groves.


More recently, I decided to do a little exploring of my own hometown. I was in training last week, and got out early enough to really enjoy the sunlight. I wandered up towards the National Mall, visited the West Wing of the National Gallery of Art, and finally explored a bit more of the American Art Museum. I couldn't take photos of the amazing hiphop exhibit at the Portrait Gallery, and I never did get to see Colbert's portrait (yet), but it was still a lot of fun playing tourist on the way home.

First the Mall


And a turn to the right, to view the Capital Building. I no longer see it as I leave work every day, so it was bittersweet to pass it every day I was in training. I miss that view.


One of my favorite views, heading towards Gallery Place/Chinatown


In part because my favorite theatre is on the way:


But before you get to Indiana Plaza and Gallery Place, you hit the National Gallery of Art's West Wing. My favorite, since I'm a sucker for the Impressionists. I can't help it, I'm a francophile and I love light. I found some new loves, though. Nydia, the Blind Girl of Pompeii


And a reading girl


Entirely new to me was the American Art Museum. I've been inside the Portrait Gallery quite a bit lately, since I'm in love with the Kogod Courtyard, but I hadn't checked out the rest of the museum. Please do, if you're here in DC. It's fantastic. Again, the best and most interesting stuff can't be photographed, but here's a taste:




And finally, the Courtyard. I could knit here happily forever.

Monday Me

First, I know, I know... I was two days behind with my ABCAlong entry. But jeez people, new job and excitement get in the way.

The new job? Very wonderful. On so many counts. And best of all, I'm finally better! It only took a month! I still can't do a whole ton in the way of exercise, since walking too fast and just doing crunches makes me wheeze. But I am at least able to go about my normal daily activities with a light step and a happy heart. Also, without coughing every two seconds and flipping through Kleenex at an alarming rate.

I said Hanami was done. It's still not blocked. But I already turned the heel on my first Kaffe sock, so that's something! And tonight I'm going to see a hockey game, where I will probably knit. I am wearing little black thin jeans and looking completely unprofessional AND I will knit. This makes me perhaps not the usual member of our corporate box. Heh.

My Monday Me? It's hockey-related. My kid sister is a hockey fanatic. She's been a fan for ages and ages, she's played on loads of teams (girls teams, school teams, club teams... any teams). And of course she's a Bruins fan. We are from New Hampshire, and Boston IS our default home team for everything.

So tonight, to what I'm sure will be her great annoyance, I'm going to see the Caps get resoundly smacked up by my Boston Bruins. I'm not much of a sports fan, but I do love to root for my old teams- whether it be the Red Sox, the Pats, or the Bruins. I even sometimes root for the Celtics, but not on purpose.

I have sporked a recent photo from my sister, to show her in her latest hockey regalia. I should note that we don't look much alike... but she's the short girl on the left! And by short, I mean almost exactly my height.

D is for Disney

There's a part of me that can never be completely comfortable with DisneyWorld. I mean, our buddy Walt? Such an anti-Semite. And the entire consumerist fakeness of it all? More than a little disturbing.

But I can't help it.. I still love Disney. I vividly remember going to see The Little Mermaid in the theater, and it being such a big deal to have a real NEW animated feature at the movies. I loved everything Disney as a kid, and haven't ever really grown out of it. Even with all that post-colonial, progressive graduate studying I did, sometimes I just need some Mickey in my life. My parents are much the same (with less of the existential angst about the whole thing), and we went for another family vacation there for my birthday last year. And it was fun, though I think being forced to have fun for a week gets a bit wearing now that I'm closer to 30 than to 10. By a lot.









The best part of being a Disney fan now? International Food & Wine Festival! I'm such a wine nut.

Hanami

Is done.

For posterity, I wanted to record that. I need to block it in the next few days, and share pix! I think it's decent looking now, but it's going to be SO PRETTY after blocking. I just know it.

So stay tuned... one very pink Cherry Blossom Stole coming your way. Now, the only problem is that I don't have any easy knitting for the metro. Oh dear! I best remedy that, ASAP. I'm thinking... Jaywalkers in the Landscape Storm colorway. It just came in the mail recently.

Let's not discuss the Friday Harbor socks I'm ignoring right now. Haven't we had the discussion about low project fidelity?

Jenni's Chullo

DSC06159
Originally uploaded by Jenni on the tracks

Jenni looks so darn adorable in this hat! I'm so glad it fits, and you should check out her Flickr photostream- she's an amazing photographer and all around fantastic and brianiac hot as heck chiquita.

A cunning hat

Looks better on him than me.


Admittedly, Jayne hats are an acquired taste. But what better gift could I give to someone whose usual expression looks like this:

Sometimes it's hard to be a (busty short-waisted petite but a bit hefty) woman

I rather enjoy sewing. I mean, there are moments I hate. Hemming anything, ever, is frankly on my list of despicable chores to be avoided at all costs- I rationalize paying for others to hem my suits when necessary because if something costs nigh on 200 dollars on sale, I can spend the extra few dollars to make sure the hems are done tidily. I really enjoy piecing quilt tops and wall hangings. In fact, I'm signed up for a quilting retreat with my mother and aunt in September, which should be a blast and a half. The three of us in a cabin may in fact make the world implode with crafter goodness and hilarity. I'm not much of a quilter, but I suppose part of going on a quilting retreat is to learn something- and boy do I have a lot to learn about hand quilting. Because I really suck at it. Really.

Besides hating hemming, and loving piecing quilts, I love the idea of sewing clothing for myself. But as the title states- I am simply not proportioned the way patterns are. I haven't been a B-cup since I was 11. I'm petite, but my arms aren't really that short and my legs are just a bit long for a petite (though still seriously shorter than normal people's). I can't draft my own sewing patterns, and I have not yet figured out how to do alterations other than shortening the dreaded hems... so I've been at a bit of a standstill on growing my sewing skills. But when I went to G Street to look at fabrics this evening (it's a sale, I can't help myself), I cruised the pattern books and found the neatest thing! Simplicity is now making patterns in association with Threads (a sewing magazine) that are supposed to be very step-by-step... and they are sized with different pattern pieces for B, C, and D cups. This means I may be able to make a shirt that fits my bust, without needing to do major alterations or go up 4 sizes from my waist size! So I immediately bought two patterns and fabric for both. I'll probably try a muslin first, to determine what size I really need to make and which cup measurement, but in general I'm delighted at the prospects. The fabric is nifty, too!

The first project is a nice button-down shirt with a yoke, crisp collar, and deep v-neck styling. It also has long cuffs, which I adore for under a suit. I found a great slightly stetchy cotton fabric- crisp white with subtle black stripes, and the neatest pearly black buttons to match. Since I need shirts very badly with my new all-suit-every-day job, I am hopeful that this will fit and I can make a whole bunch of them in easy care fabrics, so I can avoid doing laundry and going to the dry cleaner so darn much. I plan to make the view that is second from the left, with a nice yoke (skipping the lace, most likely), and the long sleeves with deep cuffs.


My second project is... a dress! Dresses are even harder for me to fit to my body than shirts, since my measurements are hourglass-ish but not as balanced as the pattern companies seem to expect. This dress actually has the bust measurement separate (B, C, or D!), so I'm excited to try it out. I think it looks a little bit 60s mod, but I'm making the more contemporary view (the one on the far left) with below-the-elbow sleeves and an at-knee length. The nice gentleman at G Street helped me select a navy linen blend which is washable (KEY!) and shouldn't wrinkle much. They had some stunning linens as well, but I hate ironing finished garments almost as much as I hate hemming unfinished ones. Pure linen is therefore rarely a good choice for me.


I realized that I have transitioned my entire life over to my new Lady B bag from Lexie Barnes but never posted to this site about it! I love it wholeheartedly. It's roomy and full of pockets and not too bulky to carry on the metro. The straps stay on my shoulders, which is highly unusual. My shoulders are quite narrow or sloped or something, purses are forever falling off. The first day I used it I was peeved to the extreme because there was no place for my keys. I couldn't believe such a nice bag wouldn't have a key fob, or a little exterior pocket for them. But it does in fact have a little zippered pocket near the top of the bag, on the exterior side with the big pocket- so I had no need to complain. The bag is just about perfect. And did I mention I can use it to metro to work??






I am in love.

Two projects long overdue, and a Valentine's Day gift, too!

A long long time ago I picked up some insanely fuzzy wacky hot pink yarn at the Celtic Knot shop in Ellicott City. It was meant to be for SOS. And I started a scarf... and it languished. In fact, it took days just to wind the yarn into a ball (messy messy- it is essentially a ribbon yarn, a trellis yarn, a rope-like yarn, and an eyelash, a few yards of each just tied together). When I say nightmare project, I mean it. It was supposed to be done ages and ages ago- if I'd just picked up some bloody wool I would have knit 3 scarves by now.

But no matter. It's done! And in the end, it's kind of cute. In a pink yarn barf sort of way.




I also finished a hat for my friend Jenni. It's been completely done for months, except for the little braids to tie it on with and for the top of the hat. During this week of sickness of doom, I finally got up the gumption to make the braids. Funny thing, no matter how long it is in between braids, you never forget how.


It's a bit wacky-looking, but for some reason I think it looks a lot like my friend. I hope she likes it- now my challenge is to find a post office near my new work. Supposedly there is one inside our other building... but I don't know how to get to that building from mine! These are the difficulties of DC life.


Two finished projects? Piffle. Let's go for three! I ordered yarn on Friday, received it Tuesday, and was finished (but for the pompom) by Tuesday night. It's a Jayne Hat. It looks like this:


Or on my (much tinier-than-the-boyfriend's) head:


Mission accomplished. I also am on the last lace chart for Hanami, got a few more rows into Autumn Rose, and 3 inches into a cute snowflake bag- my first holiday gift for 2008. For the record, boyfriend loved the hat. If you don't know why it is, in fact, a cunning hat- may I recommend Firefly?

C is for...

two things, that are interrelated.

CHERRIES

and CHERISH


They're practically the same word, and in my world they're entirely coterminous. I love the fruit with a fiery passion... and of course, that passion allows me to cherish them. The words are even practically the same. Cheri, en francais, is even closer! And cerise... doesn't that sound like cherish? I'm telling you, they're the same.

I do cherish my cherries. Both the real kind, which I have been eating all week, and the Hanami shawl blossom kind!





I'm nearly ready for April, and this year's Cherry Blossom festival here in DC. I have this little daydream of going to see the blossoms at sunrise with my boyfriend who works nights- he'll still be awake, since dawn is during his normal waking hours, and I'll get up extra early to enjoy the bright morning light and the decided lack of tourists.

I have my doubts that I can really get up that early, but for him? I might be capable of anything. I cherish him, too. How could I not? He wears yarn as a hat.

Photography!

I complained, and after about a minute's search the camera was found. Apparently I put it in the pink purse... why there? Who knows. I'm brilliant.

At any rate, I have proof! Beautiful proof that I knit!

Autumn Rose, the beginnings:


A close-up with truer colors:


Jeanie, for perspective


A close-up of Jeanie- I'm just past the first dropped stitches


And of course, I did finish the Snowflake Socks from Interweave for my roommate's (belated) Christmas gift. They are super cute on her! Voila, an FO for 2008.


Even more photos to come tomorrow...