"Downtown, Everything's Waiting for Yo-ou... downtown"

Yes, jury duty has been a PIA but the benefits have also been great. No, I'm not talking about being given the opportunity to perform my civil obligation of serving on a jury. I'm talking about actually taking a lunch break (as opposed to scarfing down a balance bar at my desk while I work) and getting to browse through stores that I'd otherwise have to wait for the weekend and a specific T ride downtown for. Everyday I've been able to grab some soup for lunch (my fav on a chilly day!) and leisurely browse through H&M and Windsor Button without any specific task in mind. It's been fabulous. And, yes, costly. Here are some of my finds...yes, only some.


Not to mention the adorable shoes I picked up at Payless, yes I said Payless. These are too adorable to have been at Payless but what a score!


In knitting, I finished Jorge's fingerless mitts and the pink fingerless mitts I was making for myself but have decided to give to Rebecca. I already cast on for another pair which will be for me!

Small Updates

On Sunday, during the fourteenth hour of watching football, I finished knitting the fingerless mitts that I was working on but am yet to work the duplicate stitching that I've planned. This is partly due to procrastination and partly due to my drawing up shitty charts on graph paper.

I finished sewing on Kristin's Juliet's buttons but still need to get it in the mail to her. Unfortunately, I had jury duty yesterday and then got selected to serve on a jury so it's been hard to find time to get my ass over to the post office.

Though I have sad some time, when we're not in the courtroom, to get a little knitting in! I finished the first sleeve of my Tree Jacket. I turned out HUGE. I followed the pattern but still it's kinda big. Not sure if I should frog it and re-knit or deal with it. I better decide so I can move onto the second sleeve.


Being downtown at the courthouse has definitely disrupted my daily routine but it has it's perks. Yesterday I got to stop by Windsor Button on my way home and pick up a couple skeins of Brown Sheep's Lamb's Pride Worsted in two lovely variegated shades. One's a lovely mix of pinks and the other is rich teals. Both are gorgeous. I've already started knitting with the pink-- a pair of fingerless mitts for me!

This week in Knitting

I finished and sent off my Dad's mittens. He received them yesterday just in time for 50 degree weather. Tomorrow's supposed to be quite chilly so he'll get to put them to good use then.

After finishing the mittens I finally put the finishing touches on that baby hat. Since the bay has now been home for one week I figured that it'd be nice to finally give it to the mommies.

Then a new project was started last night: fingerless gloves for Jorge. I'm very loosely following a pattern I found on Ravelry. I've modified it so much that I'm considering writing my own pattern up in case anyone's interested. The plan is to use the duplicate stitch technique to make an anchor in white on the top of the mitt, an idea I stole from my friend Carolyn. I've never duplicate stitched before-- hope it's not too hard.

And, finally, I got the perfect buttons for my sister's Juliet yesterday at Windsor Button! I'm so glad-- I feel like I've been looking forever though it's only been 1 week! I think that they are a perfect match. Hope they're fun enough for Kristin.

2008, so far

So far...I mostly finished my sister's Juliet. Still on the hunt for the perfect "glitzy" buttons per Kristin's request. I picked up a few neat silver-tones buttons at A Good Yarn but I'm just not satisfied with them. One of my favorite yarn shops but not the best button selection if you're looking for something truly out of the ordinary. I think that I'll try to hit up Windsor Button sometime this week or next weekend.

Speaking of family knitting, my dad brought it to my attention that I've never knit a stitch for him. So I asked him what he wanted. He wanted mittens. I find this slightly amusing that a grown man, such as my father, wants a pair of mittens. Not a pair of gloves or even fingerless gloves, but mittens. Ok-- can do. I've finished 1 mitten and the cuff of the second so far. They're an easy knit and actually my first pair of mittens. I'm knitting them in this yarn I bought years ago from Circles Knitting Salon (when it was still here in JP). It's a really lovely worsted-weight super-wash wool. The color way is a nice variegated earthy green.

I haven't touched my Tree Jacket in quite some time. I really should work on it but.....sleeves.... They are really dreadful. Especially these sleeves which are garter stitch in the round. Now can you see what I mean by dreadful?

I still have to finish a baby hat for my exec director at work and make two more for a doc and one of my staff members. Seems like everyone is popping out kids about now....yuck.

Well, even though I'm not a fan of babies, I still find their clothing adorable...I'm not totally heartless. Well, at least not for that reason...

pinup
Originally uploaded by michele1620

Shrinky-dink fun!

This is my first attempt at make art using shrinkable plastic. It's transparent IRL-- it's a suncatcher. Can't wait to try more!

What I've been up to (in the crafty sense)

I went to the Bazaar Bizarre on Sunday and got a few goodies and tons of ideas! I have a bad habit of thinking to myself as I browse the tables, "I can do that!" But I need to remind myself that just because I can doesn't mean that I will or that I shouldn't support indie crafters! So I bought some really cool pieces of fabric and Jorge bought me a cool necklace and pair of earrings.

Sunday was also Community Day at the ICA. This means FREE admission! It was fun to see the new building (well they've been there for ~1 year now) and the neat exhibits. And for FREE-- ya can't beat that! I think that there's one day a week from, like, 5-7 or 9 that admission is free...maybe Thursdays. Everyone should check it out at least once.

In knitting, I attended a finishing class on Tues night with Devon at A Good Yarn instructed by Allison of The Blue Blog. It basically reinforced that I do know my finishing techniques. I just need to practice them. I try to never do any modular knitting because I dread finishing but I should give it a try once all of my WIPs are off the needles.

Speaking of WIPs, I have 3 right now. A baby hat, which I'm totally dragging my feet on, my Tree Jacket, and my sister's Juliet, which I've just short of abandoned. Right now I'm in sleeve hell with my Tree Jacket...sooooooo boring.

Hopefully, I can make a big push to finish all three up before Christmas so I can start a fresh project for my travels and stay with my family in NY-- I'm sure I'll need a mental get-away at some point ;-)

Bazaar Bizarre

In case anyone's interested, Bazaar Bizarre is today. Check it out!

It was a nice long weekend!

I went to Chicago to visit my best friend Rebecca. It was three days of good old times. Rebecca and I met in college and became great friends in our second year. We were pretty much inseparable. We were good influences on each other. We were bad influences on each other. We were like long lost sisters.

Not much has changed except for our zip codes. After Rebecca finished PT school she was off to travel and work all over the country. I stayed in Boston and began managing the medical practice I worked at. For the first bit our cellphones bills were atrocious. Then we learned the concept of moderation (sorta--I had a phone bill of $250 at one point!). We'd chat during daytime breaks, when we weren't exhausted at night-- sometimes multiple times or just quick calls for trivial matters.

We may not talk on the phone or see each other as much as we used to or as much as we'd like but this bond can't be broken. A few days of phone tag can't change that. We're family at this point.

A couple of years ago we decided to take almost a month off to travel Italy together. That adventure was something that I could have done only with Rebecca. It was an amazing experience. The planning reminded me of the first vacation that we planned together-- driving to Daytona Beach all hopped up on No-Doz and immediately following final exams. We've shared some wonderful and crazy times together.

Rebecca and her fiance Chris are now planning their wedding which is to be next Labor Day. I'm the Maid of Honor-- it really is an honor. I love her and want her wedding to be everything that she's ever wanted it to be. Her face lights up when she talks about the details. I can tell that she's having fun and I'm happy for her.

Through the last 10 years since we've been friends we've been through many different stages of life together. And I know that we have many, many more ahead of us.

It's my Bloggiversary Today...

And I have a broken foot and a hurt back. For the last week and a half I've been to the radiology department of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center 3 times. Once to have an xray taken of my lumber spine, then to have an xray of my right foot/ankle and, last but not least, to have an MRI of my lumbar spine.

The back xray was normal, the foot xray showed some fractures and the back MRI results aren't in yet. I'm just one big walking accident...

I don't feel good enough to go out. I think I'm just really nervous that other people will bump into me and step on my foot. So I guess I'm in for the night. I hate it-- it's Friday night and I have to sit here all alone. Maybe I'll get some knitting done.

If anyone wants to join me for wine and knitting tonight drop me a line.

Yay for Ravelry!!!

My Ravelry tee arrived this morning!!!

Juliet...take 2!

My Juliet is done done now. Buttons, blocking, wearing! I'm not in love with the fit but it is pretty.
Sunday night I cast on for my sister's Juliet. I'm knitting it out of Debbie Bliss Cotton Angora (double-stranded). The color is just lovely. This picture doesn't do it justice.
I'm also planning on knitting the Tree Jacket...when my yarn arrives. Hopefully on Wed. so I'll probably swatch and cast-on that night-- fingers crossed.

Where for art thou Juliet?
Here's the FO in all of her unblocked glory....still needs buttons. I don't know about her. She may be a gift.

So I'm half done with the SKC KAL. I'd like to start the Tree Jacket soon. We'll see.

Halloween 2007

I still love Halloween. I love that we all dress up in the office-- our patients must think that we're all nuts but it's all in good fun. We even have a annual Halloween Potluck Lunch, so it's good for morale. All that positive work environment crap aside, I love Halloween for the costumes. The more creative and unique the better. A twist on a classic is always good.

I was Nurse Ratchet from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. This is particularly fitting in my office-- believe me.
I'm still dressing up for Halloween at 28, then tell me why kids don't bother. They ring people's doorbells and go "trick-or-treating" while wearing their street clothes. WTF!?

I got home sort of late as far as trick-or-treaters are concerned, around 7, so I missed having to run to the door every two minutes. I had one group come when I first got home-- two older girls taking two younger girls around who were dressed in costumes. I have no idea what they were supposed to be but they were dressed up nonetheless. They get candy for a job well done and one of the older girls looked into my foyer and said, "you have a beautiful house. I love all the colors." So I gave her candy too.

Then after we ate dinner and started watching Hostel 2 (don't waste your time-- bad, bad movie), the doorbell rings again. I opened the door and see this boy who must have been 14 or 15 years old staring back at me. No costume. No treat bag-- a knapsack instead. We stare at each other for a moment and then he says "trick-or-treat" in an annoyed tone. No costume.

So, I say, "Are you kidding?"

And he looks right at me and says, "No."

"What are you, like, 15?"

"No," as he holds his knapsack open for a fun-size Snickers.

I put the candy in his bag and, before he could say thank you, I closed the door. I was baffled. No costume. No young children in costumes. No treat bag. That's not trick-or-treating-- that begging.

Seriously, now I've seen it all.

Juliet...So close
It's coming along though I have a feeling that it's going to be too big. This is sorta funny because I usually take a large but I thought that I'd make the medium size based on the experience of other having their's turn out too large. Then I even threw in some decrease once I separated the sleeves for some shaping because it seemed to be turning out rather large-- how is this when my gauge was perfect and the WIP is huge!? So then, since I decreased until just under the bust decreasing the number of stiches, I decided to knit the lace in the small size. It still seems like it's going to be a bit too big for me. Yeesh, I just can't win....my last sweater for myself was too big on me too :'-( Hopefully it will work out or someone will be receiving a nice gift.
Edit: Finished sweater 10/30/07....still need to block.

FO & WIPs

I've been really productive over the last few nights...

8 Random Things

Devon tagged me...so here it goes....

1. Sometimes I don't finish projects because I can just tell that they aren't going to turn out perfect.
2. Whenever I have cash in my wallet all the bills need to be facing the same direction and it must be organized from smallest bill to largest bill (in the back).
   
3. I love buying random CDs purely based on the bands name and/or album cover art-- sometimes it's fab, sometimes it's a flop.
   
4. I've lost a little weight and last night I was able to slip my slacks off without unbuttoning them.
   
5. I love collecting craft supplies-- sometimes I get carried away.
   
6. My staff at work hates me-- I guess no one likes their boss even if she's decent to them.
   
7. I have four tattoos and I still love them all (my mom always tells me that sooner or later, I will regret defacing my body-- what is she talking about!?).
   
8. I've been at a crossroad in my life for the last six months and I still can't choose my way.
   

Goodies in the mail!!!

So yesterday while out for an after dinner tea, my landlord called to tell me that I got a package in the mail and that he put the package in the back hallway for me. I immediately knew exactly what it was! My K2 T2 package arrived!

I received tons of goodies: two boxes of tea, tea sticks, Vermont Honey, 2 mini honey drippers, Vermont Chocolate, Cream Savers, Cascade Luna yarn, body lotion, scone mix, a lovely coaster, an over sized tea cup, and a lovely card!!! I love it all...a special thanks to my spoiler Melissa! (I can't believe that it arrived in one day!!)

What I've Been Up to...
My Knit 2, Tea 2 package is ready to be sent out Monday! I actually finished it before the deadline which is Oct 1st. I really hope that my K2T2 pal likes it. I really did have a great time putting it together. I hope she enjoys the fruits of my labor.

I've been thinking about knitting but not actually doing very much of it. I just finished a little something for my K2 T2 partner. It was a cute and quick knit. Maybe I'll make one for me when I have the motivation. I really need to get cracking on some baby hats. One will be needed in ~4 weeks. It's going to be so cute. It's a little lace pattern.For my birthday I got one of these. When I opened the box I was totally disappointed. It arrived in Ocean Blue when it was ordered in Cypress...we called Jordana and she put the correct bag in the mail the next day. I love the bag but I expected a higher quality item for the price. All in all, I do love it though. It was a great birthday present.Non-knitting-related...I got a Nintendo Wii yesterday! Wow, is it fun!!! Love it so far. I totally feel like I really played tennis all night...sore shoulder and elbow to boot! It's a lot of fun. Maybe we'll buy a new game for it next week ;-) (after, of course, I'm transformed into a tip-top virtual athlete!).

And Happy Birthday to me...

So I'm 28 today. Two years shy of 30. I feel so unaccomplished. I used to think that I'd be married, own a condo, have a dog by this time in my life. Guess I was wrong.

I'm nowhere near any of those things. I feel like I missed out on my 20s. I don't know why but I do.

I'm trying to break out of this funk...

so I started a new project rather than finish any of my WIPs. Oh well, whatever makes me feel better seems to be the way to go. I started (and essentially finished) the Everlasting Bagstopper from this summer's Knitty. I's really trying to be more "green" these days and this is a step in the right direction.
First off, let me just say that this is a fabulous "zone out" project. The fishnet pattern is made up of a two round repeat. SO easy-- how can you mess that up right? Well, I don't have the exact answer to that question but I managed to screw up somewhere in the middle of the bag. It's really not noticeable but it it were any project other than a reusable grocery bag I would have totally ripped it out and started over.

Aside from my screw up, I've made a couple modifications to the pattern. I made it longer than recommended, decide to knit a garter stitch strap instead of the ribbon handles and do not plan on adding the drawstring for easy storage. Believe it or not, the strap is actually taking me longer to knit that the bag did ;-)

So if you're looking for a quick and easy pattern (i.e. instant gratification) I would totally recommend it. Once the strap is complete and sewed on I'll post FO pics and maybe even some action shots if I'm lucky.

Goofy but since I still feel like crap...





What type of Fae are you?

Life is hard right now...

So no new knitting content this week. The bf and I broke up and I've been really sad. I'm all alone in Boston. Who knows what the new living arrangements will be. I don't even get just a hug everyday anymore. I feel lost and lonely and out of place. So I lost my creative mojo when I need it most.

Anyone in Boston wanna cheer me up? Introduce a fun artsy girl to a fun artsy guy (maybe not yet)?

Fitted Tank-- Ick!

I finished the Fitted Tank yesterday and it's absolutely awful! I can't even bear to take pictures of it. It's much too short, though I added a few inches to the length. And much too wide. I may frog or I may alter by taking the side seams in. I found a tutorial on doing just that. Who knows, but for now I'm putting it away. I don't even want to look at it!

Knit 1, Tea 2 Swap

Knit 1 Tea 2 Color Swap Questionnaire

1. Do you like loose tea or bags, or both – something you want to try? Bags for the convenience & hassle-free factor
   

2. What is your favorite kind of tea (Brand, flavor, variety, etc)? Celestial Seasons Teahouse Chai Honey Vanilla White Tea and Stash Premium Lemon Ginger Herbal Tea

3. Favorite color in regards to tea or one you would like to try? (black, green, red, and white) (keeping in mind that this is how this swap is set up). I've been loving the whites that I've tried but am opened to anything
   

4. Would you say you were a tea pot kind of person or just a hot water heater kind? I heat my water in a teapot but rarely make an entire pot-- usually just a cup at a time
   

5. What tea accessories would you like but have never purchases for yourself? I'd love an ceramic(?) Asian tea set
   

6. How do you prefer to be pampered? (examples: mani/pedi, bubble bath, yummy treat, etc). mmm...that's a tough one. I love lotions/creams and yummy treats almost equally
   

7. If you were a kind of yarn what would you be and why? Anything sheep-free because I'm allergic
   

8. If you had to knit/crochet baby booties, a fun fur scarf, or a fair isle sweater, which would you choose and why? I'd probably choose the baby booties because little projects are instant gratification and, that, I'm a fan of!
   

9. What other event would make you skip a tea party? (A garden party? A book club meeting? A yoga class? Opening night for a new action thriller? etc?) A night out on the town or just out for a few drinks/dinner after work
   

10. What treat would you consider essential at your tea party? (Sweet? Salty? Scones? Those petite pastry trays with a couple of all sorts of things? Little crust less sandwiches?) Pastry and scones!
    

11. When buying yarn for a project how do you choose - do you buy the one called for or do you substitute? It depends on the fiber called for. I gravitate towards soft non-wool fibers to cut down on the hives that wool causes for me
    

12. What do you carry your knitting/crocheting in when on the go? In a pouch inside my bag to keep it from getting tangled on the other junk in there
    

13. Favorite movie to watch while knitting/crocheting? I don't think that I have a favorite, but foreign films and knitting are out. Who can keep up with reading the subtitles when they're trying to keep count of stitches!?
    

14. Are you a traditional tea cup kind of person or a mug type of person? Do you care if they match? Mug. I like to have sets but one, inevitably, always breaks leaving me with incomplete sets
    

15. Favorite childhood birthday party? My mom had a jewelry making party when I was 10
    

16. Favorite type of scone and jam? Strawberry or raspberry
    

17. If you use candles, what is your favorite scent? Vanilla and apple-cinnamon
    

18. If you could choose 3 people to have 'tea' with, who would they be and why? (famous or not, living or dead). My mom, sister and grandma-- we don't get to spend a lot of time together
    

19. You've been invited to a tea party, what 'props' will you wear (formal or casual)? Casual...I'm not a prim and proper kinda lady
    

20. Any allergies/preferences you have or are willing to admit to? Food: I'll allergic to peaches, nectarines, apricots

21. Anything we missed that you want your pal to know? Do you knit, crochet or both? What is your favorite project? Do you like to bake and/or cook? Are you veggie/vegan/carnivore?

2 Scarves and a Tank


My WIPS: Montego Bay Scarf, Kingdom Heart Scarf and Fitted Tank (and my feet).

And the nominees are...


Cool! Thanks Devon!



I'd like to thank the academy....

Tuesday was my Monday this Week

Yesterday was my first day of work this week since I took a long weekend. When I arrived first thing in the morning, I noticed a package on my desk. I ripped it open and it was a lovely hand dyed hank of Knit Picks Bare - Merino Wool/ Silk Fingering Weight in a lovely Neapolitan colorway called Strawberry Loves Chocolate dyed by Kim from the Knit Therapy podcast (look for her on itunes)! It was a prize for participating in a contest that she held on her podcast (she mentioned my name on the last episode!) a couple of weeks ago!

Thanks Kim!!!

Mmmmm...

I've been craving cupcakes for awhile now. So I baked them yesterday. Weird thing is that I wasn't even tempted to eat one when they were done. Weird....

I was away for the weekend visiting my Dad & his girlfriend in Fire Island-- they rented a beach house for a long weekend. My sister, her boyfriend and I took a ferry over from Long Island early Sat. morning and then spent the day at the beach. We had a BBQ late that afternoon. Then did nothing...I never know what to do with myself when I have nothing to do. I read, knit on two projects and watched the Food Network until about 2am. I have to learn to relax.

I had yesterday off because originally I wasn't too sure when I'd be coming home from NY. I ended up just going to Windsor Button and buying some yarn and buttons. I bought my No Sheep swap yarn and some yarn for myself. I've been thinking about making a second go at the PSFC in cotton instead. This pondering lead to this purchase.

I love the buttons that I picked out. We'll see where this leads. I just figured that if I'm going to knit this sweater again then I'd like to knit it in a neutral and in cotton since it is a short-sleeved sweater after all. We'll see.

As for the Fitted Tank, I'm not sure if I'm in love with how it's turning out. I hate the way that the pattern has you bind off stitches for the neckline. I looks almost lumpy. Maybe a crocheted edge when the piece is seamed together. I finished the front now I have to cast on for the back tonight. See the lumps?

Done!

One down, one to go...

Here's the first hat of a pair for a soon-to-be-born set of twins. The baby shower is on Wednesday at Jorge's office. I'm a damn good girlfriend. I hope to get the second hat done in time...I'm bored just from knitting the first one. But it is damn cute, isn't it!?

No Sheep Swap


My July package has arrived! Penny sent me postcards, tile magnets, and lovely bamboo yarn. Thank you Penny, the package was wonderful and I can't wait to try out the bamboo yarn ;-)

I love it!

Go Get It!!!
This is the BF's new podcast: Auditory Hallucinations. Go subscribe and take a listen! He really knows his music!

Going to the Frog Pond...
Tell me, can you see the mistake I've made? Come on, look closely.... If you haven't figured it out, let me show you. It should look like this. I must have flipped it somehow and worked the WS as if it were the RS.

It's not like I'm that far into this project but I hate to rip out work that's taken me so long to accomplish. If I continue on, leaving my mistake, it will haunt me every time I wear the FO. Or, worse yet, I will never wear the FO-- I hate to do that since I love the pattern sooooo much. So I guess there really aren't any other options-- I will frog to the point of where the raglan increases begin and make sure to be very aware of the RS this time around!

Look at this little contraption! Love it! It's now waiting for it's counterpart to arrive from Joann's (with free shipping & a 50% off coupon it only ran me $30!). This yarn was wound into a neat little "yarn cake" in under 2 minutes. How could any knitter not love that!? No knots to untangle. No need to coerce the BF to hold his arms out for extended periods of time to help with the ball-winding process. No more time taken from my knitting. It's knitter's freedom in a 9oz package-- sweet!

I'm thinking about CO for the Fitted Tank to give myself a break from the agony of ripping my Puff Sleeve Feminine Cardi. I think it'll actually be a quick knit, but we'll see. Sometimes I'm a knitting Speed Racer and sometimes I'm a knitting slug. I'm an unpredictable knitter. It keep you all on your toes ;-)

***
I knit this last weekend for a soon to be born bebe...

I may have to knit one for myself this winter. I'm serious.