Hanami in its Natural Habitat

Two more photos from this long and delightful weekend before I head to bed. While we were at the blossoms, G took some pretty amazing photos. He was even kind enough to take some photos of my Hanami shawl in its natural habitat- the cherry blossoms! Last year it was about 35 degrees at the Tidal Basin- even with the wind, it was easily 30 degrees warmer on Saturday.





And they posted our race times. 35'57"!!!! That's a huge improvement over my last time (37'38"). I ran the first mile handily, kept up the pace a bit into the next mile, but walked on the bridge a few times, on either side of the halfway mark. Hopefully the next time I race, I'll be running non-stop the whole way. But what a great improvement! I'm inspired to get back out on the roads and train.

Right now, I'm inspired to go to bed. 10pm isn't that early on race day.

Incredible Weekend

This has been the most amazing weekend I can remember. Quick recap first, then full-blown. With photos, from me and G!

Friday: Caps game
Saturday: Cherry blossom viewing, yoga by the Tidal Basin, brunch in Georgetown
Sunday: Ran my second 5k, the Cherry Blossom 5k Run/Walk. Also? Finished a sweater!

The Caps game was great- and of course I brought that ever-present baby blanket with me. Got at least 5-6 rows done, and the game was enjoyable. Though they were not playing their best... boo.

Saturday was just tons of fun. G and I headed out to get our race packets for Sunday with our friend Kevin. I realized if I went to get the packet I might miss the free yoga class by the Tidal Basin, at the Cherry Blossom Festival stage (in front of the monument!), so I went straight there. Gorgeous morning, but tons of wind. It was my first time doing yoga outside, and it was definitely a yoga adventure! George took some great photos during our class, and my friend Manda was also there and joined up afterwards for some creative photo-taking around the FDR memorial and the blossoms.



We went out for an amazing brunch at Mie N Yu in Georgetown, which was a ton of fun- but no photos up from that yet. Lovely decor... and yummy.

Then finally- today I went out with some folks from my company and G and a bunch of our buddies to the Cherry Blossom Ten Miler and 5k Run/Walk. Guess which I did. But I smashed my personal record for a 5k, and loved every minute of it!



After the race I did some chores around the house- not only is Passover coming, I have a parental visit coming up! But I still managed to finish my sweater while we watched our first Blu-Ray disc, Let the Right One In. Horror movie... sort of. Definitely interesting. The sweater is plain ole great! I definitely need to block it- but it's wearable!

Crafty Ponderings

I've been better about updating the wedding blog- and let's be real, that's where most of my energy is centered lately. But I've been crafting a fair bit these past few weeks since the move, as well.

Progress is slow and steady on the baby blanket. I've finished 6.5 repeats, and more importantly I finally am at the point where I don't need the pattern at all. I have finally memorized all six different stitch patterns, and their repeat lengths, and can knit blissfully away on the metro and around the house without relying on the pattern! I am almost done with the second ball of yarn, and it's getting big enough that I have to stuff it in my backpack or a separate bag now, in order to knit during my commute. The baby is due in late May. If I were trying to knit a full 14 repeats, I'd be worried! But this blanket is already coming out so large that I think I'm over half done already. As long as I fit in some serious knitting time over the next few weeks, I should be able to gift it well in advance of the baby's arrival.

In between working on the blanket, I have been remembering that crazy challenge I signed up for, pre-engagement. I (in my infinite wisdom) thought it would be cool to sign up for the sweater-a-month challenge that flew around Ravelry after the Ravelympics and National Knit a Sweater month in November. Why I thought I could knit twelve sweaters in a year, when I average one or two, is pure delusion. But the least I could do is try and at least knit on a single sweater! Like ... maybe the one I started during NaKniSweMo (November). I was already working on the sleeves, two at a time, at the end of November. So I picked it up again, and am now... still not done with the sleeves. In my defense, I really am working on the sleeve caps! I thought I would be able to finish them this weekend, and possibly even start seaming it together, but my optimism was (as always) misplaced. My major work stoppage this weekend was really the fault of the move. It took me some serious searching to find the last ball of yarn for the sweater- it was separated from the project at some point, and was mixing it up with my wool blend yarns in my shelving unit. Living the high life, I tell you! Now that it's been reunited with the rest of the balls of yarn, in sweater form, I am hoping that I may finally get the darn thing done and sewn together by next week.

Of course, now it's April. It's unlikely it will be cold enough for me to wear the sweater more than once or twice before next fall. But hey- knitters are not about instant gratification! It's all about the sweater you'll be able to wear next year. Or you know, possibly the year after that. Once this great big green thing is done, though, all the next half-finished sweaters on my list are summer-weight. I might even finish one before the wedding, and they're forced into November retirement.

But I doubt it.

Endpaper Mitts, v2

I finally finished my second pair of Endpaper Mitts on Sunday. They were nearly finished for at least a month- sometimes my finishing skills are lacking in timeliness. At least the quality is good when I get around to it! My live-in-photographer took the photos, and can I just say it's fantastic to have someone around to take daylight shots? What a sweetheart.

It would figure I would finally finish these, a holiday and birthday gift, only once the weather has turned and it's 70 degrees out. Details. What you can barely see in these photos? Tee shirt and shorts!! Hurray for spring.

The biggest perk

The biggest perk of moving in with the love of my life is that I am going to have a sewing room again!

Well, ok. The biggest perk is probably having him around all the time, and getting to snuggle on the sofa in the evening, and having more than one bathroom in the house for the first time in years (we have FOUR!). But besides that, the best of all is having a sewing room.

I have had a room of my own for crafting a few times since moving out of my parents (where I did not have my own craft room, but Mom sure did- and she shared). In Bloomington I had a second bedroom, which was used as both a study for writing during the semester, and a craft room when school was out of session. I made my cosplay costume there, sewing into the wee hours of my summer vacation. I had a sewing machine, my Rocketeer, and we purred through school breaks with internet radio blasting from my desktop computer and my crappy computer speakers.

When I moved back to Maryland, I had a two bedroom apartment in Rockville. And again, it was a combined study/craft room. But for some reason I didn't sew much in that apartment. I had an incredibly long commute, and hardly any money to waste, so I cooked dinner and ate while watching a movie most nights. I did knit quite a bit throughout that time period. And I was heavily in the throes of my World of Warcraft addiction then, so I was in the second bedroom all the time on weekends and late at night, but I was mostly playing on the computer. It wasn't a fully functional craft room, I suppose.

Once I had a roommate again, I lost my "free" second bedroom, and had to go back to crafting in a smaller space. I did have my sewing machine set up in our large living room area, near the kitchen table, and I sewed a few gifts there. But again, I was mostly knitting on the sofa while watching tv and videos. You don't need nearly as much space for knitting as you do for sewing and paper crafts. And then of course I moved to Arlington... to an efficiency apartment. It's a bit entertaining to me that I got much more into quilting ONLY after I lived in a teensy space where in order to quilt I had to clear away the kitchen table- and then I had to put it away again in order to cook dinner!

Now, finally, I have the best of all worlds. I live in a house, with the sweetest man I know. We have FOUR BATHROOMS- seriously people, that's amazing. And the biggest perk is definitely having a room to craft. I can't wait to get it set up and take some photos, to show off the new space. My furniture is moving in next Sunday! In the meantime, I've been spending loads of time thinking about how to organize my space. I need to fit a sofa, my computer desk (to be used as a sewing machine desk, actually), my large cube storage-bookcase thing, and a few more bookcases. I also have a bunch of plastic bins and other random things that need to fit in somehow. It's not a tiny room, but that's a lot! I've been checking out a bunch of blogs to get ideas on how to make the space most effective, and most inspiring for my various crafts. I have hardly any fabric stash yet, but I foresee that will change as I continue on the quilting path. And I still have more yarn than Stitch DC Georgetown. Hmm. Here's some of the inspiration I've been finding!

Craft's March is Make Do and Mend Month

Craft Magazine, or rather Craft Online (since magazine is now defunct, sadly), is doing a theme for March. Make Do and Mend Month! This recession is surely affecting us all. I am not quite ready to re-sign for another 3 months (or 6, or 9) of the Wardrobe Refashion challenge. For one, there's that minor point that I just bought a wedding gown, which doesn't fit in with the refashion-nothing-new ethic. And for another, half my clothes don't fit and the other half are getting worn to shreds. So I think I need some lee-way to buy a few more suits and things.

On the other hand, my mending pile just keeps growing and growing. There's the suit that needs a button on the pants, and is otherwise completely wearable. Another suit that needs the pants re-lined- though the jacket may be worn enough that it's time to just heave it, I have a hard time giving up my favorite well-fitting suit! A pair of pants I bought that had a terribly done hem which came out, completely, the very first time I wore them. A piece of the hem thread came undone and was literally pulled out from under me in an elevator door, as the elevator went downstairs so did the thread!

So this month sounds like a lovely time to catch up on these things, and get my sewing pile down a little while actually increasing my wardrobe. My handknit socks are all still in fine condition, but it's a good month to read up on darning and get a darning egg, too.

I have plenty of fabric to be sewing skirts and easy tops, and I have patterns for some really adorable little projects. Plus the Storm at Sea quilt that I desperately want to finish so I can display it in my brand new sewing room. As both of my machines (still) need servicing, in the meantime I'm going to get out those hand sewing needles and fix some hems. Sew some buttons. You know- make do and mend.

Caps for the Win

As usual, I scored tickets to the Caps game through my lovely company. And as usual, I brought some knitting for the occasion.



You can see I am zooming along on one of my upcoming baby gifts- at the game I had completed two diamonds, but I'm actually done with three already.



I came down to Raleigh this weekend for a visit with the parents. We fit in a bit of crafting, and are going through my mom's old quilting magazines to pull out neat patterns. And I have been knitting. But the real purpose of the visit was wedding dress shopping- and we were all done in 2.5 hours of shopping! Easy peasy. I won't blog about the dress, since I'm enough of a traditionalist that I don't want G to see it or really know what it's like. But I can tell you about my veil process soon! I purchased a pattern already (Vogue patterns on super sale at JoAnn's... mm...) and I have delicate tulle in ivory to match the dress. Oops, now I guess you know I'm not wearing white. Not that this should be a surprise to anyone- I'm pasty. Pasty people do not look good in brilliant white gowns. Now that I know what the dress is, however, I can finally think about a wedding shawl. Do I want to knit a wedding shawl? Would I wear it with the dress style I chose? Would it look silly with a veil, or should I use it as a veil?

If we have a final date, and a booked venue for the wedding, maybe then I can think about these things. In the meantime, I need to get cracking on that baby gift. Only three months before the little one is due!

Inaugural Vacation

I am thoroughly enjoying my four day weekend thus far. I watched the HBO streaming video of the inaugural concert yesterday- from the comfort of a cozy couch, as opposed to the sub-freezing temps on the Mall. Gym buddy and knitting friend Manda was going to head out there- wonder if she did, and if it was wonderful in person! I teared up a bit at a few points. I am not as patriotic as my kid sister, currently deployed with the Air Force, but I am certainly a patriotic girl.

I spent my viewing time knitting productively, too. I finished the first Endpaper Mitt for my coworker. Disregard the ends which I haven't woven in, yet- the concert ended on time:


I also have been moving along with the cashmere lace stole. I still haven't added the third ball of yarn, but that should be soon. It's getting so long it's hard to photograph! Here it is with my foot for reference:


And with a slipper instead:

New beginnings

So I haven't been upkeeping the blog very well the last few weeks. In part, it's because I had a pretty exciting end to 2008. I've been dating this really cute and super nice guy for a while now, and on New Year's Eve he asked me to marry him. I think I can get a pass on the knit blogging because I've been too giddy with laughing and drinking champagne and generally doing nothing but work and kissing ever since.

A week later, I'm only just coming back down to reality. I don't think I've knit a stitch since December. So it's definitely time to get back to work. I have a date with a friend of mine to quilt on Sunday (which means I need to find my Storm at Sea quilt and get it ready). And I am definitely ready to get back to some knitting. I have a belated holiday/birthday gift to work on, I signed up for the crazy 12-sweater challenge... and of course I need to fit in wedding planning and moving and all the incredibly exciting couple stuff, too, in between craft projects. Heck, I'm hoping to DIY a fair bit of this wedding- which is still crafty, but in a whole new way for me.

G started a blog for us on New Year's Day, so we can kick 2009 off right and document this whole crazy wedding experience. You're welcome to check it out- I figure maybe this way I can keep the strictly wedding stuff off of Handknit by Mikaiya, and reserve this blog for my knitting and craft obsession. But I bet they both bleed into each other a fair bit. How could they not- one of the first discussions regarding living together was how I'm going to fit all of my yarn and sewing machines and craft supplies into our home! At least I found the right man. He doesn't mind the fact that I'm going to have yarn in the coffee table for the rest of our lives, and potentially dangerous knitting needles all around the house. What a darling.

Reading 2008 Recap

I knit pretty voraciously. All the time. But I am still a reader first and foremost. 2008 was not a particularly strong year for my reading habit- in the end I only finished 56 books. And a fair number of them (as usual) were comics and graphic novels. But I also tried to explore new genres this year. I was introduced to some new sci fi authors (Richard K. Morgan and Cory Doctorow). I finally read The Moonstone, which has been on my shelf since middle school at the latest. I finally plogged through Middlesex, which gets so very much better in the second half.I discovered a love for China, a thing for bad addictive vampire fiction, and generally this was a great year for entertaining and thoughtful reads. I also vowed to get a bit more nonfiction on the list... which was successful only in comparison to last year. Maybe 2009 will bring me more nonfiction joys.

I'm not sure which were my favorite books of the year. Good Omens was probably the funniest. The Stephanie Meyer books were the most addictive. World War Z and my first Anita Blake novels kept me up the latest on work nights. Promethea was the most mind-numbingly brilliant comic I read, but I have a special place in my heart for Scott Pilgrim and the Fables. There's only one book I actually detested - Bullies, Tyrants, and Impossible People. So there you go.

Full list appears below!

2008 Full Reading List

1. Bryan Lee O'Malley - Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 2: Scott Pilgrim Versus the World (1/2/2008)
2. Bryan Lee O'Malley - Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 3: Scott Pilgrim & the Infinite Sadness (1/3/2008)
3. Bryan Lee O'Malley - Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 4: Scott Pilgrim Gets it Together (January 2008)
4. Jim Collins - Good to Great (1/30/2008)
5. L. M. Montgomery - Rilla of Ingleside (1/31/2008)
6. Linda Medley - Castle Waiting (2/4/2008)
7. Brian K. Vaughan - Y: The Last Man Vol 1: Unmanned (2/2008)
8. Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman - Good Omens (3/2008)
9. John Berendt - The City of Falling Angels (3/2008)
10. Jeffrey Eugenides - Middlesex (4/2008)
11. Sara Gruen - Water for Elephants (4/2008)
12. Patrick M. Lencioni - The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (4/2008)
13. Isa Chandra Moskowitz - Veganomicon (5/2008)
14. Wilkie Collins - The Moonstone (5/2008)
15. Ronald M. Shapiro and Mark A. Jankowski - Bullies, Tyrants, and Impossible People (5/2008)
16. Lisa See - Peony in Love (6/2008)
17. Richard K. Morgan - Altered Carbon (6/2008)
18. Marjane Satrapi - Persepolis - The Story of a Childhood (6/15/2008)
19. Cynthia Ozick - The Shawl (6/15/2008)
20. Charles Stross - Singularity Sky (6/15/2008)
21. Brian K. Vaughan - Y: The Last Man Vol 2: Cycles (6/2008)
22. David Sedaris - Me Talk Pretty One Day (6/22/2008)
23. Lisa See - Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (6/23/2008)
24. Pearl Buck - The Good Earth (6/27/2008)
25. Marjane Satrapi - Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return (6/29/2008)
26. Mark Dunn - Ella Minnow Pea (6/29/2008)
27. Bill Willingham - Fables Vol 10 - The Good Prince (7/2/2008)
28. Brian K. Vaughan - Y: The Last Man Vol 3: One Small Step (7/7/2008)
29. Brian K. Vaughan - Y: The Last Man Vol 4: Safeword (7/13/2008)
30. Michael Chabon - The Yiddish Policemen's Union (7/13/2008)
31. Gilbert Hernandez - Heartbreak Soup (7/14/2008)
32. Deborah Madison - Local Flavors: Cooking and Eating from America's Farmer's Markets (7/19/2008)
33. Max Brooks - World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War (7/19/2008)
34. Brian K. Vaughan - Y: The Last Man Vol 5: Ring of Truth (7/21/2008)
35. Brian K. Vaughan - Runaways, Vol. 1 (7/26/2008)
36. Laurell K. Hamilton - Guilty Pleasures (8/6/2008)
37. Stephanie Meyer - Twilight (8/9/2008)
38. Stephanie Meyer - New Moon (8/10/2008)
39. Scott Westerfield - Uglies (8/12/2008)
40. Cory Doctorow - Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom (8/15/2008)
41. Laurell K. Hamilton - The Laughing Corpse (8/2008)
42. Markus Zusak - The Book Thief (8/26/2008)
43. Scott Westerfield - Pretties (9/1/2008)
44. Laurie Perry - Crazy Aunt Purl's Drunk, Divorced, and Covered in Cat Hair: The True-Life Misadventures of a 30-Something Who Learned to Knit After He Split (9/1/2008)
45. Rebecca Alpert - Whose Torah?: A Concise Guide to Progressive Judaism (9/2008)
46. Angie Sage - Magyk - Septimus Heap, Book 1 (9/23/2008)
47. Scott Westerfield - Specials (10/2008)
48. Eion Colfer - Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox (10/8/2008)
49. Zadie Smith - On Beauty (11/2/2008)
50. Alan Moore - Promethea: Book One (11/7/2008)
51. Alan Moore - Promethea: Book Two (11/17/2008)
52. Alan Moore - Promethea: Book Three (11/19/2008)
53. Mike Mignola - Hellboy Vol. 1: Seed of Destruction (11/29/2008)
54. Brian K. Vaughan - Y: The Last Man Vol 6. Girl on Girl (11/29/2008)
55. Stephanie Meyer - Eclipse (12/4/2008)
56. Christopher Buckley - Boomsday (12/7/2008)

That meme going around - for the holidays

From too many places to count at this point.

Things you've already done: bold
Things you want to do: italicize
Things you haven't done and don't want to - leave in plain font

1. started your own blog
2. slept under the stars
3. played in a band
4. visited hawaii
5. watched a meteor shower
6. given more than you can afford to charity
7. been to disneyland/world
8. climbed a mountain
9. held a praying mantis
10. sang a solo
11. bungee jumped
12. visited paris
13. watched a lightning storm at sea
14. taught yourself an art from scratch
15. adopted a child
16. had food poisoning
17. walked to the top of the statue of liberty
18. grown your own vegetables
19. seen the mona lisa in france
20. slept on an overnight train
21. had a pillow fight
22. hitch hiked
23. taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. built a snow fort
25. held a lamb
26. gone skinny dipping
27. run a marathon - I'll stick to 5ks, thanks.
28. ridden a gondola in venice - I did ride a water taxi...
29. seen a total eclipse
30. watched a sunrise or sunset
31. hit a home run - hahaha.
32. been on a cruise
33. seen niagara falls in person
34. visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. seen an amish community
36. taught yourself a new language
37. had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. seen the leaning tower of pisa in person
39. gone rock climbing
40. seen michelangelo's david in person - I never made it to the Uffizi due to the bus accident, but I have seen other versions in Florence...
41. sung karaoke
42. seen old faithful geyser erupt
43. bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant
44. visited africa
45. walked on a beach by moonlight
46. been transported in an ambulance - I think only once, after the bus accident!
47. had your portrait painted - I do have a charcoal drawing from Paris
48. gone deep sea fishing
49. seen the sistene chapel in person
50. been to the top of the eiffel tower in paris - No thanks
51. gone scuba diving or snorkelling Definitely been snorkeling
52. kissed in the rain
53. played in the mud
54. gone to a drive-in theatre
55. been in a movie
56. visited the great wall of china
57. started a business - a very small one.
58. taken a martial arts class
59. visited russia
60. served at a soup kitchen
61. sold girl scout cookies.
62. gone whale watching - I don't think so, but I may have when I was a kid.
63. gotten flowers for no reason
64. donated blood
65. gone sky diving
66. visited a nazi concentration camp
67. bounced a cheque
68. flown in a helicopter
69. saved a favorite childhood toy
70. visited the lincoln memorial
71. eaten caviar
72. pieced a quilt
73. stood in times square
74. toured the everglades
75. been fired from a job
76. seen the changing of the guard in london
77. broken a bone
78. been on a speeding motorcycle
79. seen the grand canyon in person
80. published a book
81. visited the vatican
82. bought a brand new car
83. walked in jerusalem
84. had your picture in the newspaper
85. read the entire bible
86. visited the white house
87. killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. had chickenpox
89. saved someone’s life
90. sat on a jury
91. met someone famous
92. joined a book club - I've started a few, actually
93. lost a loved one
94. had a baby
95. seen the alamo in person.
96. swum in the great salt lake.
97. been involved in a law suit
98. owned a cell phone
99. been stung by a bee

The camera I can never find

Is invariably someplace completely obvious. In this case, in the pocket of my backpack where I always put it. Figures.

This does mean pictures! I've been doing even more knitting this week than normal. I got over my cold fairly quickly, thanks in no small part to my boyfriend G and his natural remedies. I'm an echinacea convert! I managed to destroy all that healthiness this morning, however, by slipping on some ice and ingloriously flying down five steps, landing on the side of my back. That destroyed my exciting plans for the day- running, lifting weights, brunch with some of my favorite knitters, and even latkes at Sixth and I with Chef Spike from Top Chef. DARN! I ended up chilling out on the sofa, watching The Tudors (not as good as True Blood, but better than most tv shows), and then this evening I was treated to Indian food. I even remembered to light the menorah- so a bad start to the day has ended up just fine. As long as I don't try and lean over or sit up too quickly.

I finished up a project that has been nearly complete for months- just in time to stuff it full of a holiday gift.


The cashmere shawl looks about the same all the time, and probably will until I block it, but the Endpaper Mitts are moving right along and photograph beautifully.



My favorite menorah, from the opposite vantage point of my usual sofa view.

An Annual Tradition

Last year I had the flu the week leading into Christmas. It was rotten. This year I don't have the flu (hurray flu shot!), but I did catch the cold that's been roaming around my office. All the herbal remedies and cold meds I've been taking haven't licked it yet, but it has given me a nice opportunity to slow down and enjoy the season. Albeit with a red and runny nose. I keep over-booking myself- and when I'm sick I just back out of everything (as politely as possible). And suddenly I'm faced with free time.

Free time to be festive. The gifts are wrapped on one of my chairs (being Jewish and treeless, a chair works). The ones headed off to the midwest have already been mailed. The new bright blue LED lights are strung up on the balcony, with these nifty white circles hanging beneath them. My house is Chanuka-festive, and I even found the candles that fit in my newest menorah before I go to light them.

Free time to watch TV. Last night I finally caught the first episode of True Blood, which I adored. And I am showing serious devotion to the significant other by not watching a bunch more tonight while I'm home alone. Instead, I'm watching the Muppet Christmas special. I'll never really grow up.

Free time to cook more- last night I was treated to a delicious Hungarian paprika-laced chicken soup. Spicy and perfect for my head cold. Monday I cooked The Pioneer Woman's stellar Pasta alla Vodka. Some people thought it had a bit too much vodka. I thought it was abso-fallutin-tastic. It made a great lunch the last few days, too. And tonight I tried a new recipe for vegetable stew with herb dumplings. I'm not sure it came out so much as stew as a very soupy veggie mixture, but I was extremely pleased with the dumplings for my first time ever making them. It was a pretty easy recipe, and very tasty!

Free time to knit. I've been working on my cashmere stole quite a bit. I'm halfway through the fifth repeat, of eight repeats total. Not bad! It's still luscious to work with the cashmere; I feel almost guilty it's so sinfully soft. I also cast on for a quick little gift, a new pair of Eunny Jang's Endpaper Mitts for a deserving friend. She picked out some really lovely colors and gave me a chance to re-remember the tubular cast-on. Which I enjoyed much more this time. In addition to the mitts and my never-ending lace stole, I've started working on a baby blanket again. Two of my colleagues from work are having babies in the spring, and I'm excited to have a real reason to play with sweet and cuddly baby yarns.

The only sad part of these few days of chilling at home after work, is that my camera has disappeared again. How am I supposed to document my works in progress without it? I'm sure it's in some purse somewhere around here. You'd think it would be easy to find everything in an efficiency apartment, but not so.

DC Namaste Knitters Meetup!

DC Namaste Knitters Meetup!
Originally uploaded by LollyKnit

Thanks to the joys of Ravelry, I had a fantastic afternoon knitting and enjoying a comforting yoga practice here in DC. It was so nice to reconnect with two other UMBC alumnae, and hang out with other local knitters who are into yoga. I love this group photo from Lolly!

Happy Holidays

Real-world post completed, I can get to the more important stuff. The holidays.

First, I have a lot to be thankful for. And this Thanksgiving brought that home more than usual. I am thankful for so much.
-Love from my friends and family, who are a constantly growing web of people.
-A sister who has faith in God and country, in ways different and yet not so different from mine.
-A Jewish community at the non-denominational Sixth and I synagogue, who so far have been very kind and welcoming. Even if I still haven't made it to any services there.
-A new home that is safe and warm and already full of pleasant memories, and plenty big enough for one woman.
-A job that pays the rent.
-Enough yarn to see me through this economic climate, and enough spending money to support my LYS and online retailers for just a teensy bit more should I desire.
-A local library that is sometimes my solace.
-A gorgeous city only minutes from my door- I am so thankful that I still appreciate it, and want to see more of it.

Second, after my short list of thanks, there's the holidays more generally. I don't like hearing Christmas music between Halloween and Thanksgiving. I think it's ridiculous to rush the year along, just because the weather has cooled down and retailers are doing poorly. But I admit to a hidden love for Christmas carols and festive decorations and tidings the minute Thanksgiving is over. I am already ready to bring on the holiday cheer. One of my favorite movies is Holiday Inn, a silly little thing with Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire, but it does get you in the spirit of the season. For a Jewish chick, I do love the Christmas songs. The new Stephen Colbert Christmas Special was a nice and funny kickstart for this year- all I need to watch now is the new Muppet special and I should be completely into the holiday mood.

I did a good bit of my gift buying online yesterday, during the Black Friday specials. Part of me wishes I could have done more through my own handcrafts, or purchased from Etsy sellers who handmade their items. But most of what I got, after thinking it through, were games and other things that will bring people together. I hope they will allow my family and friends to remember that real holiday togetherness later on, since I don't imagine 2009 will be much easier than 2008. We are all so geographically spread out, and will be more so once my sister deploys in January. We have so much to be thankful for, the main things we have been provided with. Despite all that, I still wish my family could be a little bit closer.

I have great hope for our new President, but I think he just signed up for an almost impossible task. I think most of us are hoping for the best, but see a long road ahead. What better way to begin the next year than with a truly festive holiday- a celebration not quantified in money or gifts or fancy food and drink, but a holiday of the spirit. Coming together for company, and to spread the love. I think it's worth considering, even for the most bah-humbug of us, to try just a little harder in the next short weeks to express that love, and to really cherish what (and especially who) we have. It's a challenge anyone can win, and I'm ready for it myself.

The worst thing that can happen to a knitter

I suspect that the worst thing that could happen to a knitter is losing the ability to knit. I'm not quite so whole-sale gone as all that... but I managed to pull a muscle in my upper back/neck, or some other cause not yet determined, and have spent the last two weeks knitting very little and taking a lot of pain meds. When the pain still wasn't gone by last Friday, I pulled in the bigger guns- muscle relaxants. Boy are these things weird. When I take them at night, I'm out pretty shortly thereafter. Took them this morning, since the pain and discomfort was pretty severe and I don't need to drive or operate machinery today. As near as I can tell they still make me woozy enough that I don't dare drive, but I seem to be awake enough to surf the web with impunity.

At any rate, all this pretty much explains why I haven't yet finished the darn NaKniSweMo sweater. I've been making an honest effort- I finished the front yesterday, and started the sleeves today. About three inches into the sleeves, in fact. But there's no way I can pull out a marathon knitting session the rest of the weekend to finish it on time. So much for that goal. I don't think I want to mess up my back further by trying to knit when my body tells me not to, but it's a hard hard thing to laze around in front of the tv all day and not have needles in hand!

My Thanksgiving this year was quiet and very pleasant. I did a fair bit of baking beforehand- something about the holidays really gets me in the baking mood. I made blueberry muffins, although I should have made the awfully sweet variety instead of the healthy sort. I like the sweet ones much better. I made a loaf of cranberry nut bread, which is nearly gone already between Turkey Day and breakfasts since. And I also made four dozen pecan tassies. I absolutely adore tassies- they're a bit fussy to make, but come out stellar. The winter edition of Bon Appetit has a recipe for chocolate almond tassies that I may try next- there's something absurdly appealing about little mini tarts with a cream cheese and butter crust. Again- not so healthy, but absolutely worth it.

Toreador, don't spit on the floor

OK, OK, I know those aren't the words. I have seasons tickets to the Washington National Opera this year, through Generation O. It's their club for the under-35 set- they figure if they can get us young, we'll be patrons of the arts when we're older. The tickets are about half price, so it's totally worth it. I missed La Traviata due to work (don't even get me started), but I saw the last two major productions- Lucrezia Borgia two weeks ago, and Carmen tonight. Generation O tickets tend to be available for dates when the alternate cast is singing. For La Borgia, that worked in my favor- the main soprano got panned a bit by DCist but I found the production top-notch and the alternate soprano was superb. The romance between the trouser mezzo and the tenor was a bit overemphasized, but the dude was in love with his mother, too. Who am I to judge. Unfortunately, I missed out on the DC-native Denyce Graves in the title role in Carmen, and the alternate mezzo soprano was ... subpar. She scooped to the notes, missed them fairly often, and worst of all I could barely hear her. The production was fairly banal as well. The sets were uninspired, costumes seemed VERY been there done that, even to a girl who technically has never seen this opera staged before. On the plus side, it really is one of the most entertaining operas, musically, and the orchestra was in fine fettle for most of the night. I adored the soprano, singing the role of the good woman foil for evil little Carmen. And frankly, the tenor Don Jose was pretty stellar also. It's just a bit of a pity when the title role is one of the worst performances I've heard at the Kennedy Center. Period.
I'm skipping out on Peter Grimes (didn't I see that in its first performance at IU?), but I will be sure to let you know how the next operas after that go!

In more craft-related news, I placed an Amazon order last week and I picked it up from the front desk tonight on my way back from the opera, humming Toreador all the way. I'm very pleased with my haul. First up is Jelly Roll Quilts, an excellent book of tips and tricks and patterns for those gorgeous jelly rolls of pre-cut fabric strips. I don't actually own any yet, but I'm thinking the Moda sale going on at my Mom's local quilt store Wish Upon a Quilt might be the kick in the pants I need. I'm thinking of doing a fairly simple nine patch quilt in the Nest by Moda line. It's all little bird eggs, bird tracks, and adorable art deco style birds. Adorable!

Also in my shipment is my favorite new knitting book. It's the long awaited Knitted Lace of Estonia by Nancy Bush. There is one scarf in this book that I don't really care for. Every other project? I want. I want to knit them. I want to wear them. I want to drape them all over my apartment. I want to hang them from the windows, and on my mirror, and the backs of chairs. I want to give them away as presents to everyone I've ever known. In short, this is the best compilation of knitted lace that I've seen outside Ravelry.

And soon after NaKniSweMo, I'll cast on. OH yes. And it will be all lacey gorgeousness for quite some time around here. It's too bad about that holiday gift thing- everyone's just going to have to make do with store bought (or Etsy bought). I can't bring myself to stop knitting myself sweaters and shawls long enough to be a good gifter this year.

Knitting Content! No Kidding!

It's all in the headline. I decided to give up NaNoWriMo for NaKniSweMo, and boy am I ever cracking along on it. I finished the back already. Want proof?



Disregard the crazy coloring- it's not sage, it's actually hunter green. But that is really a finished back to the Perfect Sweater v2, knit in Ella Rae Amity. I know lots of purists get all fudgety about using wool/acrylic blends like the Amity, or Wool-Ease (pills a ton) or my general Plymouth Encore. But so far I'm loving the Amity, and the Encore has held up great in the past. My only issue with the yarn? Why would you bother with 220 yard wound skeins if they have at least two knots in them? I have terrible luck with knots. Those sneaky Ella Rae people. I hate weaving in ends, and I hate having to backtrack nearly an entire row even more. Grr.

On the plus side, this sweater got to go on a field trip to see the Capitals whup up on another hockey team. Sweaters just love field trips. Check the Flickr for more Capitals game fun. My sister, who you may remember is the real hockey fan in the family, texts me the same thing every time I go to a game: "You suck." Thanks, sis. I love you, too.

The knitting photos are pretty bad from the game- I kept laughing. It must be that old man I've been hanging around with.



That, or the beer.

Remember Remember

The... 8th of November... I don't think that's how it goes.

It's November. Well in, in fact. And I have about 2500 words of my novel for NaNoWriMo. And I don't really mind very much. It's a laudable goal, but it simply just isn't working for me this year. I didn't put in much effort, and between trying to keep up the running and the social life and the election craziness it just hasn't happened.

Instead of any self-flagellation about it, I'm just giving myself a better challenge. Why kill myself over a novel, when I could go crazy doing something more productive. Like knitting a sweater. I did it during the Olympics, which was what- 17 days? And there's 22 days left in the month. I still get to race, I still get the feeling of accomplishment... and unlike writing, which requires a laptop and time alone, I can knit while doing my other things. While watching the Daily Show and Dancing with the Stars episodes on my DVR. While hanging out with my friends and boyfriend in the evenings. And I miss knitting lately. Less than I would have expected, for how little I've been knitting... but still.

I have been doing a little knitting. I'm getting close to finishing the second ball of cashmere for my cashmere stole. And I did start the brown vine socks from the Fall Interweave Knits.

So now it's time to pick up my pointy sticks again, and knit myself a sweater. I even know EXACTLY what I want to make. It's the Olympics Sweater, redux! I have the yarn... I have the pattern... and I want to wear it desperately. It's a brilliant plan, really.

As a side note, I went to a Bond celebration at BoConcept, the furniture store downtown where I purchased my sofa. Their furniture was featured in the new Bond movie, so they held this cute little event to celebrate. The martinis were strong, the food was gone before we got there- but it was an excuse to wear some of my grandmother's rhinestones and head out on the town. Not a bad time at all! In lieu of knitting pictures... check it out.

Playing Bond


And me as a Bond girl.

Dallying in Dayton

My kid sister is rocking it out with Guitar Hero (which I'm still pretty bad at). After all those years she made fun of my for playing video games- she's more into the Wii than I am.

This has been a nice visit out to the middle of the country- a last little Dayton trip before she deploys in January. Friday night we went to nearby Kettering, OH to participate in their first annual 5k "Run for Your Life"- a pretty entertaining way to spend Halloween night. It was a super hilly course through the neighborhoods in town, so we were cheered along the way by the locals and the course finished in a burst of fog machine fog and strobe lights- it was adorable. It was the first 5k either of us ran, though my sister has done half marathons before. She stayed with my slow pace, and we ran almost the whole course... except for walking up all the hills. This gave us a pretty slow time of 37'38" but I don't mind in the slightest. I wanted to beat 40 minutes, and I certainly did! Next time I'll aim a bit lower still- and hope the course is a bit flatter.

The best part of the race was our costumes. A few other people raced in appropriate Halloween attire, but we definitely got the most crowd support.



Finishing a race counts as winning in my book.


We also went to the US Air Force Museum today- it's enormous and very interesting. Heather posed in a cockpit for me.


I wrote a bit of my novel last night, slept a whole ton, and am finally nearly finished with On Beauty. And I'm zooming along on my cashmere stole. It feels like a real mini-vacation. I'm thrilled to have made it out here. I'm sad to leave... but very happy to be heading back to Arlington. Funny how that works.