Tuesday, July 26, 2005
So if cats are missing the sweet tooth gene, why then is my cat's ass so big?
I dare you to find a larger cat bottom than this.
Hee hee I'm always picking on Veebs. Of course he doesn't eat sweets. It's only good ole fashioned Cat Chow that makes him so shapely. And I like him shapely. He's great to cuddle to, to sling around your shoulder, your arm supporting that great big butt as his great voluptuous excess spills over, and he's purring purring purring like a gigantic bumblebee.
But speaking of sweets, this is what we got going on here at Chez Kitty McKnitty. Homemade ice cream!
We've had this ice cream maker for the last 3 summers and this weekend was the first time we used it. Idiots! We made strawberry ice cream and oh my god is it good. All day long I think about strawberry ice cream and how soon it will be til I get to eat some. And on a hot hot day like today it is even more exciting.
So not much going on with the whole knitting thing. The past weekend found me in a RARE mood to clean up the jungle that is our yard, so I ran with it and removed the dead shrubs, de-weeded, even varnished the deck. But yep I think that'll be it. When I'm in the yard again it's to sit in a lounge chair with a knitting project on my lap.
I was so into gardening last year, and now I barely care. Such a shame. I wonder if this time next year I'll feel the same way about knitting? I hope not. As Duck has pointed out, knitting has been my longest running obsession ever.
Filed Under: Cats | Life
Friday, July 22, 2005
The pros about being a contractor are many: flexible hours, better pay, no office politics, no pressure of having to be on some "career track." The cons about being a contractor are too few to mention. I'm even ok with paying health care out-of-pocket.
But there is one con that has me a little sore. I didn't get to partake in the company summer outing which went something like this: catered seafood lunch; yachting in Newport, RI; clambake dinner; dj and dancing; hotel rooms for that one too many drink. I am shocked at the extravagance during a non-dotcom era that resembles more like a millionaire daughter's wedding than a corporate outing. Goddamn. I've always wanted to do a clambake!!! And I love sailing! I love Newport! And I love love love to drink free booze!
Also since I missed the outing I missed the announcement that went out telling everyone to stay at home the next day (today), so when I came into the office this morning I was all, "Bueller....Bueller...Bueller...?" Sigh. There is no love for the contractor.
With my sudden free time today I finished Harry Potter.
Blossom's OSW came in the mail yesterday. It was too small for her, she offered to give it away, and I kindly accepted the offer. I too however found that it was too small for me.
But it wasn't too small for a certain fiery-haired beauty...
And I'm breaking my No Knitting For Me, Only Knitting for You vow. I'm disappointed in myself but hardly surprised. I did start on a few baby pieces and they seem to be going pretty quickly, and since it's still blazing hot outside I thought, I could totally squeeze in one more summer piece before the season's over.
So Allegra, I'm comin' back for you and this time I mean to finish you up and finish you up good.
Comparing the width of Allegra to the width of my favorite perfect-fit tank. Look at that!
I started this back in May and have been starting/stalling on it ever since, because I had more than an inkling that it was going to be monster big on me, despite knitting it in the smallest size. But I was loathe to make any sizing adjustments. The pattern motif is too involved and I was too lazy to re-plot. So what does one do when one cannot make one's mind up? Keep on knitting, just keep on knitting! Yes it's too big but if you just Keep On Knitting the piece will magically shrink or you will magically grow to magically fit you perfectly!
Anyway I made my adjustments to the back and cut the width back by more than 3 inches. The adjustments to the front is going to be so so gross, but I'll think about it when I get there. The goal is to finish this within the month. And THEN I will concentrate on baby stuff only, yes. I will.
"I hate you."
Filed Under: Adrienne V | Allegra | Cats | Life
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Ce-ce-Celia!
Pattern: Diagonal Stitch Top from Adrienne Vittadini Spring 2005
Yarn: Rowan Linen Drape, 4 balls
Gauge: approx 20 sts = 4in on US5 needles
I wore this to work today paired with white capri pants and ballet flats, feeling a little like Audrey Hepburn if Audrey Hepburn would be the type of gal to ever be caught with unbelievable shine (or grease, however you choose to put it), or a hairdo that's impersonating a dog playing dead. It was that hot today. You walk out and it feels like you someone slapped your face with a warm wet towel, and then tried to muzzle you with it. Am I back home in Atlanta? Did someone set fire to it again?
But really I'm not complaining. Ever since winter squashed spring into a no-show, I've been loving the heat. BRING IT ON.
I'd like to thank Carolyn again for the generous gift of Linen Drape. I think it made a fabulous yarn substitition for Celia which orginally calls for silk. I made other modifications too, sizing being one. Also because I cast on less stitches than the smallest size, I sort of just willy nilly decided how many decreases/increases I wanted for waist shaping. I did only one set for the waist. For the neck shaping, I followed the pattern but left out just a few decreases so that the overall circumference of the neckhole would be consistent with the smallest size. I'm small everywhere EXCEPT my head, which is the size of a dirigible, so no sizing modifications can be made there.
I must lament on one thing though: I SUCK AT NECKSHAPING. I don't know what happened but the front neck is just, yuck. A little more Jaggedy Cliffs and a lot less Gentle Green Slope. I've always suspected from past pieces that my neck shaping was yuck. Now I know beyond a reasonable doubt it is yuck. Binding off in a middle of a row = yuck. I haven't been able to learn from past yucks. Even with a row of single crochet finishing didn't hide the fact that it is so yuck. Yuck.
I usually like my PORTRAITS taken in natural light, because flash is so yuck, but the flash really made the eyelets pop, so I went with it.
What else, what else. That's it. I really like this piece and would definitely do it again. But not anytime soon because I am putting a stopper on projects for me. From now one, it's baby all the time, all the way.
Change of topic: You know what really made me smile today? The commute into work. Why? Were the trains actually on time, air conditioned, and not at all crowded? No. Was every other commuter carrying and reading the latest Harry Potter book? Yes. Dude, it was SO CUTE to see men, full-grown adult men, balding men, men in suits, men with a Blackberry clipped to their belts, sitting on the train with their briefcases on their laps and their noses buried in that book. It totally made my day.
Filed Under: Adrienne V | Celia | Completed Projects
Monday, July 18, 2005
This weekend was a hot and muggy one. I continued knitting Celia, while listening to the Red Sox/Yankee game on the radio, while reading Harry Potter. Two years ago, the doorbell rang at 6:30am in the morning, and a grumpy USPS guy hand handed over Book Five and said, "Here's your book," while his face said, "Goddamn you freaks." Remembering that, this Saturday morning I woke up at 5am and flitted in and out of sleep with my ears half opened, listening for the sound of the delivery truck. It came at 7:15 am and BOING! Duck and I were at the front door half-dressed in a split second.
I am loving this book so far. It's not a surprise, but I think her writing style has changed. It's more sophisticated, the flow reads like watching a movie. And our little wizards are cursing and flipping each other the bird. They're all grows up! I for one am waiting for the Ron/Hermione make-out scene.
This weekend I also tried to play Buckaroo with my cat Veebs. Of course I used yarn: Debbie Bliss cashmerino aran in this VERY DELICIOUS shade of teal. It's destined to become a cable jacket from a Debbie Bliss baby book...I hope...if I don't use it for myself...because I'm selfish.
It was like playing yarn jenga.
Veebs wasn't a very cooperative Buckaroo team player. Kept waking up or breathing too heavily.
Filed Under: Cats | Life
Friday, July 15, 2005
Pattern: Ballet Top from Loop-d-Loop
Yarn: Blue Sky Organic Cotton in sand, 3 skeins (used less than half of the 3rd)
Gauge: 10 sts = 4 in on US15/10mm needles (owww)
 I wore this to work yesterday. After an entire day dealing with the forces of gravity, weight, and general movement, the back scoop of the ballet top had crept like, halfway down my back. This thing stretches like mad, however I'm thinking it's doing it mostly under its own weight. That cotton double stranded is rather heavy. Hopefully a throw in the wash will normalize it, but I'm wondering what a wash will to do this here Blue Sky cotton. It's so soft and really cottony, fibrous cottony like a cotton ball (duh), will a spin in the wash turn it into a mangled fluff? It was pilling before my eyes while I was wearing it.
Onto the technicalities. Knitting with size 15 needles is murder, but then you get a finished piece in a day, wow! So I didn't do this in the round, next time though I will try. It'll go by even more quickly. Let's see, I also only increased after the waist twice instead of 5 times because as you know I fear loose garments like the plague. It still came out slightly bigger than I would prefer but what'reyougonnado.
I also crocheted a flower for this but when I pinned it on, suddenly I was all, "Hi I'm ten, let's play with My Little Pony!" So flower was quickly nixed. That's it. I consider this an easy one-off. Maybe I'll do it again.
Filed Under: Completed Projects | Loop-d-Loop | Ballet Top
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
There's not enough time, not enough hands! So many pieces that I want to make for me, like this cute kimono sweater, and this funky cardigan and of course the hot Alpine vest. So many pieces that I need to knit for all the babies coming at once. And pieces I want to knit for friends, like another Orangina and Apricot Jacket. And at some point I need to make Duck a sweater of his own. That's just the tip of a very large knitting iceberg.
I told myself I could not knit anything for me until I had at least 2 baby pieces done, but then I started the Loop-d-Loop ballet top just to see what would happen and suddenly I had a front.
This pattern (along with every single on in the book) is knit in the round. For some reason I do not like knitting in the round, maybe because I find it difficult to gauge the size of thie piece as you're working it. It gets all bunched up on the needle.
Also this pattern uses GIGANTIC size 15/10mm needles, of which I happen to have a pair. Straight only. I wasn't about to go spend $12 or whatever on a circular pair when I don't intend to make knitting on size 15 needles a regular thing. So I adapted the pattern to knit flat. I'm doing some stash busting too, using 2 strands held together of Blue Sky organic cotton.
My hands HURT, particularly the first joint of my right index finger. But I'll have this piece finished up in record time: started it last night, will finish back piece today, if all goes according to plan.
After that, I must finish Celia (back piece is done for that) and then it's baby stuff all the time.
Filed Under: Loop-d-Loop | Ballet Top
Monday, July 11, 2005
I never meant to like it but somehow I did. There's something about the models in the book that are unsettling enough to divert attention away from the knits, at first. They look haunted, anemic, in need of a trip to the Caribbean (me too though, me too). And some of their hair styles...woof! So my first impression was NO THANKS, GET AWAY. These people and therefore these knits are FREAKISH.
But I kept picking it up everytime I'd happen on it at the bookstore or yarn store, and now I think most of the pieces in there are very very cool. Some are still wacked out, as are the models, but overall there are plenty of pieces I would make.
I still hate this guy though.
Filed Under: General Knitting
Sunday, July 10, 2005
CORRECTION to my previous post about silk. I learned this while reading through the chapter in Vogue Knitting about all the different kinds of yarn materials. I seemed to have skipped that part when first receiving it because I have a habit with all my books of reading the end first, then parts of the middle and then the beginning. Yes, ass backwards!
So speaking of ass, the silk does not exit through the silkworm's bottom as one might assume, but through its head. Wow, isn't that interesting? Does it make it any more appealing whatsoever that silk comes out of a bug's FACE rather than his rear? No.
You know what else is not so appealing is knitting for babies. I know! I must be hollow inside! Both my BIL and my cousin, who are due around the same time, are having boys (Nephew W and Little Cousin O respectively) and I'm having trouble figuring out what to make for them...I'm afraid they won't like it, I'm afraid it's not practical, I'm afraid the baby will choke on the ill-sewn buttons...all very bad things in of themselves but so much worse when you've put hours and hours into making something they might pack away in the attic forever. I'm willing to pay someone to knit a baby item for me. Got anything laying around you want to sell?
But is it practical?
I have however started this super-cute kimono for Nephew W, using some KFI Cashmereno (soooooo soft) I've got laying around. But, does this sound right to you?
- The gauge is 25 sts = 4 inches. Check.
- For the 12 month-old size, cast on 90 sts for the back. Check.
- The width the back should thus be 15 inches. Check....
- The chest is about 30 inches. OK what.
Hey do one year-olds have 30 inch busts? I know it's not supposed to be FORM FITTING but, damn. I could wear this! Babies are gigantic!
After leafing through a whole mess of baby knit books, I suddenly had a great idea last night for a sweater for Cousin O. It will involve INTARSIA! I looked around online for some animal charts or something cute for kids, and I found this:
Is it: a) roadkill b) a moldy chicken
c) not a frog d) all of the above
It's supposed to be a frog. WTF. I didn't find anything cute at all, only that and ugly Pokeman charts and one of a howling wolf, so I'm charting my own. It'll have something to do with the Red Sox, because my cousin is a huge Sox fan, and no doubt his son will be too.
Like all average Americans in average American households,
Veebs enjoys watching his favorite shows while naked in bed.
Filed Under: Cats | General Knitting
|