A little image from the future (tonight). Reaching for Jon...
November 29, 2005
Self Portrait
Tuesday
Health update: The doctor seems to think that I have a sinus infection. So I have some Zithromax and Flonase. After one dose of the Flonase, I'm able to breathe better. I'm still having some bad coughing attacks, but I feel a lot better today. I plan on spending most of the day relaxing [because 1) it is my b-day, 2) it will help me feel better, and 3) I need to be ready for Bon Jovi tonight!].
Knitting update: I started Mom's cashmere scarf. Oh my! It is sooooooo soft!!!! I had a hard time putting it down last night to go to bed. (oh, and I might have let it slip to Kevin that Top Secret is for him!)
Tomorrow... I got some yummy yarn
for my b-day from Kevin's family.
Yay for the map! Keep on joining!!
November 28, 2005
Thanks for all the sympathies about
being sick. I'm feeling a bit better today after a good night's sleep
(thank you Wegman's Nite Time medicine). I also managed to get in
touch with the doctor's office and I'll be heading over there in about
an hour. Hopefully, I'm at the end of this. I can't decide
which phase is worse, the fever phase or the congestion phase. Anyway,
positive attitudes lead to quicker healing right? So let's talk about
the knitting.
Here is the Elaine scarf in her finished glory. Of course the
weather has shot up to 60 degrees, so I can't wear her, but I really love
the way she turned out. She is squishy and warm.
This is a pretty accurate picture of the colors. You can also
see some of the texture.
Time to update the knits in progress
chart...
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On Saturday, mom, dad, Kevin and I made a trip up to Haddonfield. My goal was to visit Wool Play, which ended up being our last stop. My dad went over to the knitting books and looked up my pattern. My mom began petting some yarn, and Kevin and I looked around. I was disappointed in the selection, which was mostly upscale and expensive. There was no sock yarn, except Koigu. My mom fell in love with this yarn:
This is A.L. de Sauveterre in Last of the Summer Berries. It
is 100% Italian cashmere. The woman at the store assured me that
one skein was enough for a small scarf. This yarn is so unbelievably
soft.
My dad asked me a lot of good questions about my knitting while I was home. As I was working on the sockapal2za socks, my dad asked about the 2 circular needles and I explained the difference between knitting on circulars and DPNs. At one point, he even picked up my knitting and was trying to hold it properly. Unfortunately he didn't have his glasses, so he couldn't see the stitch I was pointing at for him to knit, so he stopped. I don't think he really wants to learn to knit, but I'm really happy that he finds it interesting and asks me questions. My dad also very proudly wore his scarf on Saturday. It was the first time it was cold enough since I gave him the scarf back in June!
Hopefully, I'll remember to take
a picture of the sockapal2za socks before I mail them off tomorrow.
I was hoping to mail them today, but they are still a little damp.
Yay for the map! Keep on joining!!
November 27, 2005
I'm just going to whine for a bit
because I'm sick. If you don't wanna read it, go look at the panda.
On November 16th I mentioned that I had a bit of a sore throat and cough. A couple of days later the cough remained, sore throat was gone, but replaced by bad upper back pain. Cough and pain lasted most of the weekend. On Monday, I was in my office shivering. I thought that my office was just really cold. I then went to a meeting with my advisor and was sweating and flushed the entire time (and not out of nervousness). Seemed odd, but I didn't think much of it. Get very little sleep Monday night from periodically sweating and freezing. Have zero energy on Tuesday, laying on the floor on a heating pad for my back and shivering, I realize that maybe I should take my temperature. Yep, 102. Start regiment of aspirin every 4 hours, feel ok. Wednesday morning try to contact doctor to get an appointment because fever = sick = miserable, but after a lot of crap including me throwing my cell phone across the room and crying for 20 minutes, I have no doctor's appointment. (Short verison... doctors at my local office decided not to work on Wednesday at that office [why? just because they are lazy], but there were doctors at the far away office, but I can't call and set my own appointment at the far away office, I need to talk to the lady at the local office who I already yelled at because I [and maybe I'm dumb] don't understand why the doctors would not want to help me and rather I would just die [yes, I said something to that effect]). Anyway, travel home Wednesday with Kevin and a fever. Spend the next two days (including Thanksgiving) feeling like crap. The fever finally broke on Saturday to be replaced by a wicked cough (previous cough was slight) and a completely stuffed up head. So I still feel like crap, just a different kind of crap. Unless there is some miraculous recovery over night, I'm not sure how I'm going to teach tomorrow evening. And Tuesday is my b-day concert at MSG with Bon Jovi, so I need to be better for that. I'm going to call the doctor again tomorrow (because I promised my mom), but I'm not too hopeful about getting an appointment.
Yeah so, that's my whining.
I did accomplish a lot of knitting (finished Elaine and Sockapal2za socks)
and obtained a new project (going to a yarn store with mom [and dad and
Kevin] results in mom picking out and buying yummy cashmere for me to play
with on the condition I return it to her eventually as a scarf).
I'll take pics of all that when I get some more energy.
Yay for the map! Keep on joining!!
November 22, 2005
Kevin and I decided to have a pre-Thanksgiving turkey on Sunday. Doesn't that bird look delicious?! Kevin knows how to cook a good turkey and stuffing (though not in the turkey because that's evil according to Alton Brown). I was in charge of the mashed potatos. It was a good meal with lots of yummy leftovers all for us!
I was finally inspired by Elaine over the weekend.
Hopefully I can get a natural light picture of this because the colors
are so pretty together. The purple and light green are much brighter
in person.
I decided to go with a simple pattern to accentuate the texture of the thick/thin yarn. Row 1: *K1, P2* to last stitch, K1. Rows 2 and 4: Purl (or knit backwards). Row 3: Knit. The scarf doesn't lay perfectly flat, but it rolls less that stockinette stitch and the purl bumps on the right side add to the texture. I am really loving this scarf!
Alrighty, y'all... I probably won't
post again until Sunday, but I plan on knitting up a storm over this mini-break,
so hopefully there will be a few FOs (most likely Elaine and Sockapal2za
"savior" socks).
Yay for the map! Keep on joining!!
November 18, 2005 updated
Looks cute on Mr. Pillow.
Cons: painful hands, I look like a dork in it
Kim the dorkwad.
Now, don't try to tell me that it looks "cute" or "ok" or "not that bad." This really ought to be over at You Knit What?! Maybe if I was going skiing or something, it would be cool, but I honestly don't think I will ever wear this. Ripping is not an option because the yarn will just disintegrate (it is very loosely spun and the slightest tug results in breakage). So the question becomes, what do I do with this hat? Hide it at the bottom of the stash box? Give it to my 6 year old cousin on Thanksgiving (oh, look I thought this would be cute on you!)? Donate it along with "nicer" gifts to a 13 yr old girl who I'm buying X-mas gifts for for the psych. department's holiday 'giving tree'? I'm open to suggestions (but not the suggestion that I keep it and wear it).
After making this hat, the ribbed
hat which is to be made from the same yarn in brown will be on hold for
a while because this yarn was too painful to work with. That means
I'll be alternating Top Secret and Sockapalza 2 sock until I get inspired
by Elaine.
Yay for the map! Keep on joining!!
November 17, 2005 (for real)
Uhm... yeah, so you probably notice
my posting schedule has been a bit screwy. Specifically, I've been
posting from the future. (Huh?) Like, the post below that is
dated 11/17 was posted yesterday and not even at like 11:59pm, but still
legitimately on Wednesday. Anywho... Thanks for the compliments
on the gloves and to everyone who has been adding themselves to my map.
I'm a total map addict (in the span of 1 day). If you got a map,
let me know I'll add myself!
So yeah, it is really Thursday right now and I've pissed away most of the day. I mean I did a little actual work... I emailed some students and some professors (about being on my dissertation committee... holy crap!! this dissertation thing might be real......................................................................................................................... ......................................................................................................................... ......................................................................................................................... .........................................
Oh god, sorry. I think I briefly passed into another realm of existence.
So what did I spend my day doing... get this... not knitting, but reading... reading for fun!
I bought this book several weeks ago when I ordered a book for my SP (that free shipping lure). It had been sitting on my wishlist for quite some time. I had read a review of it in either Bitch or Bust and thought, "oh that sounds fun" and added it to the wishlist. I started reading it Sunday and was reading a little each night before bed, and then a little more in the morning before getting out of bed, and then today I couldn't put it down. I really liked the story. I didn't find it as "laugh out loud" as reviewers mention, but it did hit me emotionally with some ups and downs. Basically it is a story of feminist triumph over traditional gender ideals. There's a nice twist in the last half, but I was able to guess many of the major plot points before they happened (although I was wrong about a few). The story really reminded me of the whole debate that I think is somewhat centralized with Maureen Dowd (women just wanna get married and have babies) and Katha Pollitt (fuck you Maureen). The only thing that really pissed me off about the book was the large number of typos! Hello?! Don't proofreaders exist any more?
Now that it is nearly 5pm, there's no reason to do work. Time to knit on my new hat...
The gloves are fin! They seem to fit well and Kevin likes them. They do need a good washing to soften them up a little bit. These gloves were made from my own pattern in my head and jotted down in little bits and pieces. I used one strand of Sock It to Me and one strand of Frog Tree Alpaca on size three needles. The fabric is dense, but not too thick. The alpaca makes the gloves warm and the wool/nylon makes them sturdy.
And now...
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Ok yes, I should cast on that second
sock and yes I need to get moving on Top Secret if this pattern is to be
finished in time (mid December) for publication and yes I need to Sheepify
the Sheepy blanket, but the lure of a new project!! Time to cast
on for a hat!
November 16, 2005
Becauase I'm a joiner...
And also because I don't feel like grading more papers... only 30 more before 7pm.
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Ok, so I'm glad y'all like the
pics, but they are starting to scare me when I open the internet (is it
conceited to have your own blog as your homepage?), so time to post.
Kevin and I both seem to be suffering from the same mysterious malady, characterized by sore throat, slight cough (on par with Zoolander's "I've got the black lung" cough... ok, maybe a bit more substantial, but not a huge lung-shattering cough), and general maliase. Didn't get out of bed on Tuesday until 1pm. That's bad. I have 52 papers to grade before 7pm tonight, that's even worse.
Fingers crossed that I will finish Kevin's gloves tonight, just two more fingers. And then it is time for 2 hats and than Schaffer Elaine (oh, and of course the other things on my list).
This isn't the greatest picture, but Elaine and I still aren't speaking.
Although I was comforted to hear that others (Karma
and friend) had problems with winding as well.
Ms. Elaine (why do I keep thinking
of Seinfeld) will become a scarf. What kind of scarf? I'm hoping
that when I decide to start talking to her again, she'll give me some inspiration.
November 15, 2005
Self Portrait
Tuesday If you had a blue tongue, what kind of face would you make?
Knitting news... sleeves of Top Secret are ready to be joined to the body for raglanizing (though body is not ready)... Kevin's second glove has a thumb and one and a half fingers... no more sheeps have been added... Sockapal2za second sock is soon to be cast on.
Saturday was supposed to be a day of knitting at Jody's, but Kevin's mom was in the city visiting Kevin's brother, so there was a change in plans. Kevin and I met up with them outside of the Yarn Company, so that Kevin's mom and I could do some yarn shopping. We were both fairly disappointed. The store was tiny and cramped with too many people. The selection was sparse and overpriced. But of course I couldn't leave empty handed, so I bought a skein of Schaefer Elaine in the color Gertrude Ederle (turns out to be an evil, evil skein of yarn... took 2 hours to wind into a ball last night! and I'm now mad at it which is why there is no picture). Then we went to dinner at some Italian place that screwed up my order. But, they were so sweet about it that we got an extra appetizer and a dessert for free! The bestest part of the night (which had been planned) was seeing Eddie Izzard in a workshop performance at the Village Theater. I had my camera and could have gotten amazing pictures, but I was too afraid that they'd kick me out and I didn't see anyone else taking pictures. The show was hilarious and I think I only resisted rushing the stage and mauling him (nicely of course) because Kevin was there. I love Eddie!
I actually have an FO to show you:
Oh wait, those don't match.
I know a lot of people suffer from second sock/glove syndrome, but I think I suffer more from first sock/glove syndrome. Ok, so you're thinking, "Kim, what the hell are you talking about?" Well, I find that with the first of a pair of gloves or socks, that I'm so worried about getting them to fit perfectly that I delay working on them and finishing them. With the glove, I would took a huge break between finishing the hand and starting the fingers and then each finger felt like a chore because I needed to get it just right. I took a several day break from the sock while debating what kind of heel to knit and then have been slowly working down the foot measuring every few rows to get the length right (since it isn't for me). But now I am excited about starting the second sock (wound the yarn last night) and glove (cast on last night) because I took detailed notes (that's a first!), so that the second ones will fly off the needles with no worries.
My knitting focus right now is finishing
the socks and gloves, as well as sneaking in time on Top Secret.
So I've altered my knitting organizational chart again:
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I think this is much more manageable. One sweater, one pair of socks, and a smallish third project. Obviously missing from the list is Squares Blanket, which has a new revised premier date of Fall 2006, and River, who I'm not in love with any more. River is going to join Flirty and Elspeth in the basket of UFOs for a while.
Ok, I really ought to get over to
my office!
November 9, 2005
Thank you, thank you, thank you,
secret pal!!! You are so awesome!
"Knitting Over the Edge," pretty stitch markers, yummy mint meltawys,
some beautiful Trekking XXL yarn (I want to play with it now!!), a cute
pink notebook, a chocolate turkey, and some fabulous little notecards and
envelopes.
Cooking dinner (a rarity on my part because Kevin is a much better
cook than I am).
Thanks for the compliments on the Mr. Snowman. I gave him to my mom today and she loved him. The pattern is super simple: knit a mitten (slightly bigger than you would normally wear), knit a garter stitch scarf long enough to tie around the mitten, knit a mini-hat, knit an i-cord "carrot", sew on the buttons, and stuff!
Hopefully I'll have time tomorrow
or Thursday for a better post (although my students just turned in their
second papers, so I'm back in grading hell).
November 5, 2005
No more Ghostman!
.
Driver's side. In the door are maps and napkins. You can
also see a water bottle, cd, and some paper under the "climate control"
dials.
Back driver's side.
Back passenger's side. A rogue water bottle!
Front passenger's side. In the door is an umbrella that is moderately
functional.
The trunk. Most of the clutter is contained in the plastic box,
which includes a yoga mat, ice scrapper/brush (that's the red), yarn (in
the upside down blue bag), and laundry detergent (which I need to remember
to take out before it gets too cold because it will freeze). In front
of the box is a luggage cart, very useful for carting around students' papers
and exams as well as books to and from my office. Under the cart
is a squashed box of tissues and to the left of it is a black bag (also
for carrying students' papers).
So if you want to play along, show us how clean your car is (no cheating and cleaning it up first!). If you do, leave a note in the comments so we can check it out.
I'm hoping for a quiet knitting
weekend. By Monday, I should have pictures of more ghost sheep (Cordelia's
comment made me laugh out loud!) because I've got the body down to 30 minutes
a sheep. The two on the right were done will watching ER. And
I should hopefully have a mostly finished sock.
Have a great weekend all!!
November 3, 2005
I call them ghost sheep.
Me as Cyndi Lauper!
So yes, I did make the costume. I learned on Thursday and Friday that I can read a sewing pattern and sew (especially with my new sewing machine, which makes this costume the most expensive Halloween costume I've ever had!). The dress is actually two pieces. It isn't sewn perfectly, but for my first attempt at sewing that was something more complex than curtains, I'm really proud of it. My hair is sprayed red with a spray on hair coloring, which I would not recommend. It was great in my hair and washed out easily with no negative side effects. The problem with the spray is that everything in our bathroom now also pink. Everyday I wipe up more pink and just when I think I've cleaned it all, I find more!
Speaking of things that are sewn and not knitted, I got this last week and promised y'all a picture:
This lovely bag was made by Ms. Boogie
Knits. It is her Collegiate
bag. I love this bag! I can carry all my purse stuff and
knitting stuff in one bag with room for more. I'm so happy that I
bought this (and now with my new sewing machine, I'm wondering it I can
start making my own bags... although that would require buying more fabric
and starting a fabric stash...)
Oh, knitting? I finally got some knitting time last night and earlier today (laundry day!) and I started on this:
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I got picked as a make up knitter for the Sockapal2za, so Wildfoote socks are on hold and pretty Rhinebeck socks are being knit for a knitter whose original sock pal is MIA. I decided to try a new pattern from the Vintage Socks book. So far this is knitting up quickly and I love it!
Mitten Snowman will get a carrot nose because I suddenly remembered this morning that I DO have orange yarn, leftover from my Pipi socks. Yay! I just have to finish him by next Tuesday for my mom.
Thanks for all of the sympathies
about my car! I'm still looking for that damn Blue Saturn with license
plates 174L.
