13 posts tagged “knit talk”
Yesterday a bunch of us got together to throw our friend Ali a surprise graduation party. She's just finishing up nursing school and definitely deserved an awesome day of fun. We decided to have it at Tydings Park, which is lovely and right near the bay/boardwalk... and conveniently only 2 miles or so from my apartment. Here's the view from our picnic table:
All day long it was looking like rain, and when Jane and I ran errands to pick up the cake and other party goods, it was misting. We didn't really have a plan B for rain, but it eventually all worked out, and the sun even came out for a while. We grilled burgers and chicken:
We also had salad made from lettuce my mom picked from my parents' garden, kimchee and chicken fried rice made by Jane's mom, buffalo dip Lisa made, guacamole that Jesse made (Jane's mom loved it, and also -- he just happened to have a molcajete -- how awesome is that?), and fruit salad Fred made. I'm sure I'm missing something, but I know I tried and loved everything we had. The cake was awesome too:
It was an awesome time. After some bocce and clean-up, Jesse, Ali and I walked the boardwalk. Ali headed home, and Jesse and I kept on trucking... straight to Bomboy's for some ice cream. Ha ha. Later that night, all of us went to see a friend's band play, and I had a few gin and tonics. Jesse and I fell asleep on my living room floor.
Oh, and Friday Jane, Ali and I took my Mom to a Shins concert! It was my Mother's Day gift to my Mom this year. It was sooo soooo good. It was at a smaller venue, Ramshead Live in Baltimore, and we got front row, right in the middle. The show made me love the Shins that much more, and I also love how much the singer looks like Kevin Spacey (photo stolen from Jane):
It's been an awesome weekend. I've lost 8 lbs. since last Monday doing Weight Watchers. I read a whole New Yorker, cover to cover, for the first time since... last summer. I finished up another semester of grad school. I've been knitting -- a lot. My next blog will likely be about all of the yarn I got from the Webs sale... and a few FOs.
I realize I haven’t posted in a while. I’ve been busy!
Classes have been insane this semester, but are starting to wind down (one last weekend of crunching!). Work’s been crazy too. Also, new boyfriend (Since February) that I’ve really been spending a lot of time with. And lately… knitting. I can’t stop!
I’ve been working on EZ’s seamless hybrid, and the miles of mindless st st have been excellent. The best part? I’m knitting this for said boyfriend, but he doesn’t know it. For some reason he thinks it’s a skirt. I love being sneaky. And yes, I know all about the Sweater Curse, but you know what? If the worst happens (which I don’t foresee happening at all) the sweater would totes fit me (I’m knitting the 40” size… sweet!). A slim boyfriend is all a knitter could want.
Recently, I noticed that I hardly have a single picture of myself from the last 3 months. Plus, all of the pics taken of me have been in bars. Not cool! So I decided I want to start the Flickr 365 project. My friend Jane said she would do it with me. I recently signed up for Weight Watchers (again) and I think it will be a good way to track my progress, too. So… that’s that. Here's 365:1 (weird ceiling fan pic):
Since my last post, I’ve finished knitting the Hanna cardigan (from cocoknits). I bought this sweet shawl pin on Etsy, and thought it made the perfect fastener for the sweater:
I also knitted Habitat for the boy (woo, that was a fun/complicated knit):
Started knitting Ysolda’s Ishbel (with some KDG hand-dyed farm wool, which I got from Lancaster Yarn Shop):
Started and abandoned a pair of Nutkin socks (love that colorway! It’s Amy’s Vintage Office from Lorna’s Laces):
And finally got myself some KDG yarn in mustard seed, which I promptly knitted into a scarfy:
P.S., I totes dropped the ball on MDSW this year again. Last year, same issue: broke. A yarnie festival is the last place I want to be with no money. I know I should be able to enjoy an event without having to buy anything, but in this case… nope. Not possible. I know I would have just been pissy about being broke. So next year… yeah, I hope it works out next year.
MMmm: Cardamom/Saffron Sweet Tea Loaf
$@&*! It was completely hollow. COMPLETELY. I could have fit a skein of yarn inside. Or 4 and 20 blackbirds. So embarassing. The worst part is that this happens EVERY TIME. I can not get bread right. I even bollocksed up the No-Knead Bread. I don't get it at all... I can bake any type of cake imaginable, but bread is my downfall. Blast.
I baked that, along with my ol' trusty stand-by, the Roasted Butternut Squash Tartlet, for last Sunday's Spinning Day. My friend Ali's Mom used to own a yarn shop, and gave spinning lessons. So when Ali told her I was interested in spinning, she sent over a Clemes wheel (I love that hippy painting on it, I think Ali's Dad did that):
We learned a LOT, particularly that Jane does not like spinning, and that I do (no real surprise there though). Also, spinning kills your thumb muscles, moreso than knitting. Yeouch. It is a lot of fun though, and a great way to escape from frustrating knitting projects. I spun a skein of roving Jane had purchased on Etsy from Moonlight Baker, and am now turning it into a lumpy-bumpy-first-attempt-at-spinning style hat:
What else? I finally got a hair cut! I decided that I wasn't ready to grow out my bangs just yet:
It was the first time a guy's ever cut my hair. It was great, Ashley-Ryan was good, and explained in great detail how I should style it (I must have looked a hot mess walking in there or something... )
We went to restaurant week in Baltimore last night, and finally hit Roy's, this upscale Hawaiian fusion place. For $30, you get a 3-course meal. So I had some kind of braised duck/lotus root soup (yum... lotus roots have the perfect texture... like beets!), mahi mahi (meh, I think it had been frozen) served on top of glass noodles in lobster broth. Those noodles were amazing. Dessert was some kind of lady-finger fruity thing, but I was jealous of Jane and Myrick's choice... the macadamia nut crunch bar. It was two chocolatey colored bars with the consistency of chunky peanut butter, maybe a little firmer... but soooo much tastier, too. God I love restaurant week.
This week it's back to classes... the semester starts Monday, actually. I'm looking forward to it a little, but I'm still not ready to give up my free time. I hope I don't neglect my friends again, because when I get stressed, I tend to avoid social situations. I need to remember my New Years' resolution: no more half-assing. I'll try.
Tonight I was super excited to come home from work, because I decided around 2 pm that tonight I would be having popcorn for dinner. I'm not even kidding. Excitement:
Jane got me the popper for my birthday this year, and it's definitely my most-used kitchen appliance. Well, aside from the microwave. But not for popcorn!
Now I'm finally trying the homemade hot chocolate mix and peppermint marshmallows I made for Christmas:
Not bad, but I had to add some sugar.
The rest of my night includes more Hanna progress, and the first disc of season 2 of The Tudors!
Good night, errybody.
Tonight I used up what might be the last of the delicata squash until it comes back in season late next fall. I don't think I'll ever get tired of those, they are soooo good:
I've been knitting the Bacchus socks from the fall Interweave. Notice anything... out of the ordinary?
Hm, how about a left sock chart knitted on a right sock? You might not think it's a big thing, but knit these socks and you'll find out why. When you reach the leg, the chart extends out to the heel... well, not so on these. Had to improv a little twisted rib. Oh well, the recipient isn't a knitter, so she shouldn't notice... right? Hope not.
I got a little frustrated so I moved back to knitting Hanna, for MEEE! Ah, I'm so glad to be making something for myself after all that Christmas knitting:
Well, my week and a half of freedom is drawing to a close. After spending much of Christmas Eve all alone at the office, I was able to stay outta that place... until tomorrow. I think I forgot what it's like to do work.
I have been having way too much fun. Cheap fun though. Like making Jane help me rearrange my living room. Also, lots of games of the new Trivial Pursuit 25th anniv. edition (Christmas pressie from my parents), lots of good TV/knitting time with friends (last night Jane and Ali came over and stayed until 1 am... watching TV, messing around on facebook, eating pizza, having indigestion). I read Steve Martin's book Born Standing Up (loved it... love him. He's my birthday buddy). It's been a good run.
Yesterday Jane, Ali and I made the trip to Lancaster. We first stopped at... a Mexican restaurant (I won't name names) but it wasn't what we were expecting. I can't say the food wasn't good, because it was... Some kind of good peppery chicken, and I know I ate at least 3 cups of yellow rice. But we all had indigestion allllll day from it. Nobody can say it wasn't authentic though, because the only other people in the place spoke only Espanol. We love ethnic food.
Afterward, we walked all over the city on what felt like the coldest day of the year. Those streets are wind tunnels, in the words of Ali. We hit an art store so she could stock up on canvas. Then... we hit Lancaster Yarn Shop! It's always so exciting to me to hit an actual brick and mortar yarn store... we have 0 near us (well... there's one in Bel Air, but that's still a good 40 minutes of driving!). I think I touched every skein in that shop. I finally went with some KDG farm wool which looks to be a heavier fingering weight, in this gorgeous "London Fog" colorway:
Wouldn't this look sweet as a Swallotail shawl(ette)? I think I'll save it for spring time knitting, it's the perfect color.
We met LYS' owner, Wendy, who was so so nice and knowledgeable. She told us where to go all over the city, and we did head in the direction she told us to. We stopped at a Creperie for coffee (Jane and Ali got nutella hot chocolate... I sipped it and it was GOOD). It started to get dark though, and colder, so after a few thrift shops, we headed home. But we're definitely going back soon to see more of the shops. It's really close too, closer than I thought.
This weekend I committed to finishing Ali's Christmas pressie, Coraline:
I just need to get some buttons on it. It's a bit (ok, way) small on me, but it will fit Ali. And, among a ton of other goodies, Ali made me a drawing/painting:
I love it. Especially the "no hipsters" sign on the front steps. We did a handmade Christmas this year -- Jane made me an awesome DVD of photos from... I want to say the past 5-10 years. Unfortunately (for me) she also included a video from my birthday... we went to a piano bar (Howl at the Moon, in Baltimore) where my friends TOLD THEM IT WAS MY BIRTHDAY! AHHHH! I hate being put on the spot... but then, they made me dance like a stripper. I looked more like a slothy old lady. Ha ha, oh well, at least I was behaved. My friend Myrick made us all a Moroccan feast for our gifts. But for me, handmade means knitting, so I knit mittens, a cowl, a sweater, a scarf, a blanket, a llama... a hat... and I think that's it. Also, I gave out some baked goods for presents, like rosemary shortbread cookies, homemade hot chocolate mix and homemade peppermint marshmallows, salted caramels, fruit and nut bark, and oatmeal raisin cookies, to name a few. I was sooo worn out come Christmas Day, but it was worth it. I'm not completely broke, and I don't think anyone felt at all slighted.
So my plan for today... finish (or come close to finishing) Hanna, finish watching Meet the Press, watch Elvis the Mini-series, watch the CHarm School Reunion show tonight (um, hello... Sharon Osborne in a fight? I'm so tuning into that). Also, since the diet starts tomorrow, I'm going to eat or toss all the bad bad goodies in the house.
My new years' resolution: stop half-assing. I mean it.
Hope everyone had great holidays and plenty of time to relax!
Why I love Sunday mornings:
Cheesecake I made, for breakfast:
I get to watch teh kittehz:
TTL Mystery sock knitting. I got the yarn from SeeJayneKnit on Etsy... she accidentally sent me this colorway and let me keep it, in addition to my order. I love it:
WHY I HATE SUNDAY MORNINGS:
Yesterday I decided it was much more important to scrub every surface in my apartment with my new Mrs. Meyers Basil all-purpose cleaner (yum!). I am a major procrastinator. I also ran out of coffe. So today, it's tea brewed strong in the coffee pot, and 8 pages of paper writing, or else. Plus, I have to get ready for a presentation tomorrow. I am so doomed.
Um, am I the only one that knows about how awesome Netflix's instant play queue is?
This weekend, despite having probably walked a total of 8 miles (not including the walk I have planned for this evening, once the sun goes down), I managed to not only watch all of my Netflix, I marveled at the wonder that is Netflix's online viewing option. So I watched Casablanca for the first time -- then yesterday I also watched Love and Other Disasters. While not a particular fan of romantic comedies, or Brittany Murphy for that matter, it was surprisingly cute. I mean, of course I had eye-rolling moments, and times when I said to the movie, "ok, I know what you're doing here." But I also found myself jealous of Brittany Murphy's bangs:
I don't think they'd look right on my fat head though. Oh well. And what's with the weirdo she's married, anyway?
Sorry. I guess I turned into Perez Hilton for a second there.
I missed out on going "diet food" shopping today, so the diet officially starts tomorrow. I think that is my new slogan: "The diet officially starts tomorrow."
I've been doing a lot of knitting with this School Products Yak/Merino blend (worsted). I like. I made Frivol (pics when it's dry, it smells like a wet dog right now). I also made a garter rib mitt and started on the second. I chickened out of learning grafting for garter stitch and did a three needle bind off (probably my favorite knitting thing to do) and I like it... it made this cool seam down the mitt's center. But again, pics when I'm completely finished. I'm feeling some leather buttons to dress up the mitts. HOT.
For some reason, I am really REALLY looking forward to fall. Most times I am so busy that I don't even have time to get excited for a new season, but every now and then, I do. I remember a few years ago (when I still lived with my parents) I couldn't WAIT for spring. Every day I went outside to see whether the cherry tree had any blossoms. I'm feeling the same way now about fall.
Yesterday, I couldn't stop thinking about Halloween. Or my fall knits (Have you seen the new Interweave? Namely the Estes Vest?); Yesterday I went looking for a cleaves I made a few years ago that I never wear... I recall using a whole cone of lamb's pride bulky in an awesome shade of charcoal. Helloooooo Estes vest... but right now I'm working on a Frivol hat in a nice fall-y mustard color (School Products Yak/Merino blend).
Since the last time I blogged, a lot has happened; I finally got a new computer (laptop) and PAID for internet (rather than stealing), and I got a new cell phone. Something happened to all my technologies, so it was time to upgrade. I turned 25; when I signed up for internets, they asked for my age -- I was in the 2nd bracket (25-31). That's exciting. OH! I made those NY Times cookies that everyone was talking about:
They were the best cookies I've ever had. In my life, ever. No lie. I did them in batches, and just as the recipe says, after letting the batter sit for 3 days, the cookies turn out best. Really crispy on the outside and the butter flavor just comes out. And, if you make them larger, I guarantee you will not be able to eat more than two. They are soooo rich!
Classes start again week after next. Despite the daunting stack of text books (16!) I'm actually looking forward to it. It will be niced to use my brain again :)
Finally, some knitting content to report:
I caught a cold! Can you believe it? A summer cold. Ugh, the worst. So I left work early yesterday (around 11) and came home to some movie/knitting time. I also had a Mac Attack... McDonald's always makes me feel better, I swear. It's definitely psychological.
So I'm almost through a skein of Cascade Ecological wool, which, by my calculations, puts me at about 25% finished the Tree of Life afghan (for a wedding gift next year). I love being ahead of schedule.
I also couldn't help but cast on a sock:
It's the Lorna's Laces I received last week from Woolgirl. I must say, I was extremely happy with the whole transaction there. I received my order in a matter of days, which included all of my yarns wrapped in tissue (how special is that?!) and a note. I love notes. I decided to knit the Lorna's sock yarn into Sandra's Bloody Marys.
Oh, and in the background of that photo, that's Goonie, my Great Grandma, and probably one of my favorite pictures ever. Because we have a lot in common (read: general demeanor). See that arms-crossed, head turned away in defiance pose? Classic. I can only emulate.
Alright, I'm off to knit some more, read... then bed. Tomorrow it's party time, I need to be all rested up for HdG's 4th of July celebrations on the 5th of July. Happy 4th!
