Pear Pizza & Pajamas

Brrrr!!! It's cold up here in the Great NW. The weather people are predicting possible snow for tomorrow morning. Good thing I've got lots of knitting lined up and ready to go just in case, and movies too. So it's just about 630 and I've already shrugged out of the work clothes and into my 'lounge wear' aka pajamas. I'm cozy and warm and trying to ignore the cold that's been tapping me on the shoulder and saying "Excuse me, but I do believe you're about to fall ill." Just to prove the Cold wrong I've ordered a seasonal pie from my favorite place, cracked open a nice dry cider, and am about to hunker down with my knitting and movies. Sounds like bliss, no? Oh, and if anyone is in Seattle over the weekend the Urban Craft Uprising is going on at Seattle Center. Support your indie crafters! The project pictured is one of the two foliage hats that I've knit for my nieces in Kansas. One is in blue the other is green in Malabrigo Chunky. I went down a needle size since these are for kidlet heads. They're sure to keep little heads warm and, by the way, only took an evening each to knit up.

Covet! Wednesday

I am in love with this sock pattern. Anne at knitspot has done it again. I saw this last night and noticing that there was a kit available I followed the link - already sold out! Bummer. The kit was available through Fearless Fibers and while I was disappointed that there weren't any left I stayed to browse the shop. She's got some gorgeous yarns up right now - I'm particularly enamoured of the Deepest Forest colorway and am imagining some pretty lace socks with a wave or leaf design.

I also keep returning to the Loopy Ewe to drool over some Urban Gypz yarn. Really, over and over and over again. But somehow I just never buy it and I'm not quite sure why. Maybe it's the price tag, I haven't spent that much on one skein of yarn - yet. But it's beautiful and I love to just go and look at it. Not to mention the fact that I hear the Loopy Ewe is awesome to order from and they really do have an amazing selection. Maybe some Holiday scrilla will be heading my way, I won't hold my breath.

Swimming in the FO Sea

Ene Blocking
Originally uploaded by zombiegirl1

I'm already missing my long weekend(s). The last two have been 5 days and 4 days respectively. Just think of all of that knitting time now going to waste because of stupid things like work and school. I utilized all of that knitting time to the utmost starting and finishing objects like a fiend. I finished Ene's Scarf weekend before this last one, a pair of fetching, a Foliage hat, a Nest tote, and one mitten of a pair. Yay me. Knitting for the holiday that will not be named is progressing nicely and I should meet most of my self-designated deadlines.

Ene's Scarf Specs: Most of one 900 yd skein of Fly-dyed lace-weight on #7 needles. The pattern is from Scarf Style.

Accidentally on Purpose

The plan for post-work pre-4 day weekend was to do the Algebra assignment ( I heart imaginary numbers), make the two pies and possibly do a little cleaning. Instead I accidentally on purpose drank a bottle of beaujolais, watched a History channel dvd about Lizzie Borden (jump rope anyone?), finished up weaving in the ends of the latest foliage hat and knit most of a shopping bag promised to a good friend. Oh, also buying a pair of Seattle Symphony tickets for Handel's Messiah in a couple of weeks. None of what I actually accomplished is in preparation for tomorrow which would have allowed for some serious sleeping in and late morning coffee drinking. Good thing it's just me and the man tomorrow for some 'turkey' (we do it vegetarian style here), movie watching, and pie eating. Raspberries also to my friend Rob who will shortly be flying to London to experience the gloriousness of not being in the United States. Envy. *Photo is courtesy of the Ballard Locks last week on a particularly cold and rainy day.*

Covet! Wednesday

I'm back from the friend-in-town funk (having any amount of time off from work makes me ambivalent about returning) just in time for a long weekend. From here on out I've decided to stay out of shopping centers and department stores. It's just too crazy and as I get older I get less tolerant of other people (and their children) and pretty disgusted over the mass consumption and gluttony that goes on during the Holiday season. I plan on spending lots of time browsing Etsy. This is what I've come up with so far. Pretty colors and it looks incredibly squishy and twisty. This is from Karen's Heavenly Creations, she's even got some Christmas theme yarn up in her shop and it all looks pretty drool-worthy. While you're over there trying to resist snatching up all her yarn take a look at Handkraft. Oh. My. Goodness. She's only got a few things in her shop right now but man, are they gorgeous! I love the muted tones and color combinations. They remind me of faded William Morris tapestries. Yum.

Vinyl Enhancement Expedition

vinylib
Originally uploaded by zombiegirl1

My girl Nickie was up from last Wednesday to Saturday evening. There was much laughter, much much food, and a great vinyl-enhancing trip to Sonic Boom. I am a list person. I love lists, making lists, crossing things off of lists. This time round I was without a list and I have to say it was a much more pleasurable trip. Let me enumerate because it makes me happy to do so: Joy Division (re-releases) of Closer and Unknown Pleasures, Daniel Johnston, Parliament (best of), Sun Records 2 record compilation, Sly & the Family Stone Anthology. This is quite a haul and I stopped at the 'S' section in the new vinyl section and only flipped through the 'new' used vinyl section. I am a paragon of restraint.

Covet! Best Friend Edition

My bestest friend in the whole wide world is visiting for the rest of the week. So normally Wednesday is all about knitting and what I want but since she's here we'll talk about what we want, or are doing today. First up is our mythical trip to Morocco through Road Scholar which will happen when I have the funds and she has the vacation time. Donations are accepted.
One thing achieved already today is the deliciousness of Mae's Cafe and a good combo of coffee, grits, smoked trout, and vegetarian mushroom gravy. Yum. Next up is the new SAM- totally renovated with a lot more....stuff. They've got a really cool exhibit of Japanese art from the Kobe Museum. We'll most likely finish up with the Downtown branch of the Seattle Public Library which has been critically acclaimed for it's crazy architecture. This is not my favorite branch, I prefer the little one near my house. And of course there will be food, much much much delicious food. We're going to eat it. You are what you it.

Madrona Fiber Art Festival

Every single fricking class I wanted to take is full. I have knit-hate right now for all my knitting brethren who were on the ball yesterday and got into their classes. I believe there may be steam coming out of my ears. How do newbies get in on this type of thing? Is there a secret handshake? A decoder ring given out to the kniterati? A three page form full of knitting Q&A to be submitted with a personal statement? Maybe a jaunt down to Stitches West would be a good sub. Raspberries.

Brick Wall Knitting

Ene's Scarf
Originally uploaded by zombiegirl1

The progress on this project feels incredibly slow and painful. I know that I'm making progress since I'm knitting on it monogamously at the moment, yet no matter how much I knit at the time I feel I've hit a brick wall. The post-its on the chart are moving, the number of repeats on this particular chart are marked down and steadily growing. Why do I feel this sense of ....frustration? It's a gorgeous yarn, 70/30 angora/nylon and I love to bury my face in the resulting squishy and luxurious fabric. The end is almost in sight and yet the creative rush I feel towards the end of other projects is absent. Does my joy with a knitting project have an expiration date? Does it go off like milk in the fridge and start to sour? How in the world do I repair my love for Ene's Scarf? Finish it? Hibernate it (I tried this once and it didn't seem to work)? Close my eyes and hearken back to when I started the project to try and capture that lost knit-lust? She's there, waiting for me when I get home, do I tell her it's over or just continue along out of habit. *sigh*

Finished Object

I finished these babies up last week but gifted them this week. The very happy recipient modeled them for me outside of work. I call them 'Fetching Kate' since Kate provided me with garden fresh raspberries and tomatoes all summer long she deserved a little gift of her own. The yarn is Trendsetter Tonalita and I used just under the whole skein. I loved them so much I almost kept them for myself. Shame on me, yay for Kate!

Covet! Wednesday

My love for Etsy continues unabated. The past two weeks of purchasing has buoyed my addiction both to yarn and to indie craftsters alike. See that pretty pink yarn? See it? I am NOT a pink person. I own nothing pink, until now. Pink is from Yarn-Lust on Etsy and the colorway is called Lust. I believe she has colorways for each of the deadly sins. Who knew Lust would remind me of juicy raspberries? I looooove it.
Not in the knitting covetousness listing but something that is so insanely awesome I must list it here (covet, covet, covet) is Kolos Designs on Etsy. Bugs generally freak me out but I'm in complete love with these bangles and rings and things. They are beautiful and I actually ordered a pair of the cuff links for the Man for the upcoming Holiday which shall not be named because it came way too fast this year. I can imagine myself knitting away at knit night with one of the bangles attracting the oohs and aahs of my fellow knitters. Ohhh, Etsy you empty my wallet.

The pain! The pain!

Most of Sunday, all of yesterday, and I'm assuming all of today I have been or am in a great deal of neck-related pain. This happens every so often, I fall asleep in the wrong position and a neck injury I received while boating (actually tubing behind a boat) flares up like brand new. The Man has to help me out of bed since I can't actually move from my shoulders up and I struggle to get on with my day while trying to ignore my immobility. Why do I do this? It's mom's fault. Every time she was sick or injured she worked herself until she was about to drop dead. I follow suit even while thinking that it is incredibly ridiculous and I should be at home, propped up with pillows, and reading or knitting or browsing past issues of IK. So today is that day. The Man helped me up to post an email to my morning instructor, I will call work soon (I already tried but the machine wouldn't pick up), and I will shortly crawl back into my flannel-sheeted bed on much too much ibuprofen and, finally, rest.

Knit Winter

The Winter issue of Interweave Knits is here. I got mine in the mail yesterday and I found it, well, a little underwhelming after the kickass Fall issue. Don't get me wrong there are things I will knit from this issue but I didn't feel the wild knitting abandon I felt with the Fall IK. I like the swing jacket (left) and the sweater on the cover. Maybe it's the colors the projects are knit up in that turned me off or the fact that one of the models seems to give the stinkeye. I'm trying to visualize most things in different colors and with slightly different shaping - slightly longer or with shorter sleeves. It's a little difficult to do because I really want to like everything as is and instead am feeling knit-ambivalent. In any case, most of my personal knitting is on hold for Holiday knitting because I really just realized that the Holiday season is practically upon us. Must knit faster.

In with the In Crowd

Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! Blue Moon Fiber Arts just opened up their 2008 Rockin' Sock Club for registration at 10am (PST) this morning. I printed out that membership form and stuck it in the work mail within nanoseconds. I'm pretty sure the hairs on my arms stood up and I might have suffered a slight heart attack. This is heady stuff, I have now attained (if everything goes right) the holy grail of sock clubs. Now I just have to wait it out until January when the first shipment comes. It's a good thing I have some (read, a crapload) of knitting to do until then. Oh, and the Holidays are coming up too.

In other news Jessica is on Stash and Burn this episode so check it out. FYI, I'm feeling pretty darn lucky about my knitting group and the rockstar knitters who are a part of it.