Monday, November 13, 2006
Geez louise. Writing patterns is hard dude. You can fine-tooth comb what you write until the cows come home and then you'll hit PUBLISH! and then 6 comments too late you'll spot the glaring error that you missed over and over. Never again will I bitch and complain when I see errors in a pattern, even ones that I've paid for. Well no, maybe I will complain, because I mean money was invovled. But I just won't complain AS MUCH because damn. Writing patterns is hard.
Filed Under: Socks | Zephyr
Monday, November 13, 2006
ZEPHYR SOCKSThese socks are knit top-down with your standard slipped stitch heel flap and heel turn, standard gusset, and standard wedge toe.
The pattern is a 9-stitch, 16-row repeat.
MATERIALS
> Cherry Tree Hill Supersock yarn [420 yds], 1 skein.
> 1 set of 4 US2/2.75 mm dpn
> Tapestry needle
APPROXIMATE GAUGE
9 stitches in pattern = 1.125 inches (that's 1 inch plus half of a quarter inch), slightly stretched.
31.5 stitches = 4 inches in pattern stitch, slightly stretched.
Leg circumference is about 7 inches.
DIRECTIONS
I. CUFF
CO 54 stitches. Divide sts evenly onto 3 needles (18 sts on each needle). Join round.
Round 1: *k2, p1*
Repeat ribbing until cuff is about 1.5 inches
II. LEG
Pattern Chart
Note: The charts are mirror images, which actually isn't so obvious in the knitted sock. But just knowing I'm wearing symmetrical socks is enough for me! So you can knit mirror imaged socks, or just use one chart for both.
  
Work the 16 rounds of the Pattern Chart. Knit the Pattern Chart a total of 4 times, or to desired length. After last row is completed on Needle 3, turn work. Wrong side should be facing.
III. HEEL FLAP
Set up heel flap stitches as follows (WS): sl1, p17 from Needle 3, then p9 from Needle 2. Turn. (27 sts total on heel)
Move the remaining 27 instep stitches onto one needle.
Work heel stitches back and forth:
Row 1 (RS): *sl1, k1* to end
Row 2 (WS): sl1, p to end. Repeat these two rows for a TOTAL of 26 times. End with RS row and turn.
IV. HEEL TURN
Row 1 (WS): sl1, p14, p2tog, p1, turn
Row 2 (RS): sl1, k4, k2tog, k1, turn
Row 3: sl1, p to one st before the gap, p2tog, p1, turn
Row 4: sl1, k to one st before the gap, k2tog, k1, turn
Repeat Rows 3 & 4 until all stitches are worked. 16 sts remain.
Divide these stitches onto two needles, 8 sts on each. They are now designated as Needle 1 and Needle 3.
Stitch count before gusset:
Needle 1: 8 sts
Needle 2: 27 sts
Needle 3: 8 sts
V. GUSSET
Needle 1: Pick up and knit 15 stitches along side of heel = 23 sts
Needle 2: Knit in pattern* = 27 stitches
Needle 3: With empty needle pick and knit 15 stitches along other side of heel, then knit the 8 heel stitches = 23 stitches
Round 1: Knit even
Round 2: Needle 1 - knit to last 3 stitches, k2tog, k.
Needle 2 - knit in pattern**
Needle 3 - k1, ssk, k to end of needle
Repeat Rounds 1 & 2 until there are 12 stitches on both Needle 1 and 3 = 24 sole stitches. ** When knitting the instep, omit a starting YO or an ending YO in
the row, and do not do its corresponding decrease. In other words, if
you are at a row that begins with a YO, just knit the first 9 stitches
straight. If you are at a row that ends with a YO, knit the last 9
stitches straight.
Continue in est. pattern until you reach base of toes. End with Row 8 or Row 16 of chart. On final row before toe, OMIT all YOs = 3 sts decreased = 24 stitches.
Stitch count before toe:
Needle 1: 12 sts
Needle 2: 24 sts
Needle 3: 12 sts
VI. TOE
Round 1: knit even
Round 2: Needle 1 - k, k2tog, k to end k to 3 sts from end, k2tog, k
Needle 2 - k, ssk, k to 3 sts from end, k2tog, k
Needle 3 - k, ssk, k to to end
Repeat Rounds 1 & 2 until 16 stitches remain - 8 on sole and 8 on instep needles.
Slip sts from Needle 3 onto Needle 1. Graft to stitches on Needle 2. Weave in ends. Wear!
Pattern & Images © 2006 Li W.
Filed Under: Patterns | Socks | Zephyr
Monday, November 06, 2006
Pattern: "Zephyr" socks, my own pattern HEE HEE!
Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill supersock in Emerald City, one skein. Love love LOVE this yarn.
Needles: US2 dpns
I started these right before we hit the road, wound the yarn myself into an apple-shaped center-pull ball. The colors in this yarn are so gorgeous I could bite into it.
And then I had 2,500 miles to knit and complete a pair of socks.
I love the stitch pattern, it swirls and sways, churns one way and then the other like a wave, a breeze. I found the stitch pattern in one of my Japanese stitch dictionaries, but modified it a little bit. It's fast, fun and easy to remember, a great and productive way to pass the endless hours in a car.
There are some modifications to be made I think, one to the toe (don't decrease down so much), and one to the length, and maybe gauge. This stitch pulls both in horizontally and vertically, which annoys me a little because I don't want to be pulling up my socks so much. I can either go down a needle size, but I think increasing the length of the leg will do the trick, so it will hug the calf. Or maybe an elastic band would help.
The pattern fits perfectly around the feet though.
Pattern to come when I have enough time to write up something properly. If anyone's interested that is. I'm just so pleased to have constructed my very own pair of socks, hee.
Update: Thank you for all of your A++ comments! shuffle shuffle blush blush. I'm super swamped with work at the moment, so hopefully I'll have a pattern written up by next week. Or as soon as I can find my notes.
Filed Under: Completed Projects | Socks | Zephyr
Monday, November 06, 2006
Dry terrain of northern New Mexico, headed to Colorado.
Corn fields of Nebraska. Or was that Iowa?
Country cookin' at the Cracker Barrel somewhere in Indiana. It's everyone's first time at the CB, ow! We have chicken 'n dumplings, mac 'n cheese, collard greens, corn muffins and a Reuben sammich.
Snow in Ohio. Boooooo. Hate you snow, hisssssss.
Sunset in upstate New York. Not quite as IMPRESSIVE as sunsets that have been seen in other STATES, but. It will do. It will have to do.
And finally at home, making new friends, sharing a snack.
Aaaaah yes. It's nice to be home, cooking in your own kitchen, eating from your own bowls, watching your own tv while lounging on your own couch, and especially sleeping in your own bed, snuggly pinned down on either side by two purring cats who may or may not have noticed you were gone but seem happy to be near you anyway.
So why the tears? Why? The tears?
I feel like we've been in a time warp and Santa Fe has just been a lovely, warm, adobe-colored dream. When we left, summer was still in full swing. Now suddenly the green things outside are dead and this house is doing that thing where it can't retain any heat and I have to wear my parka indoors. Is it that time of year already?
Yes, we're back home, and our adventure has officially ended! *Sob*
Filed Under: Postcards from Dottie | Travel | Santa Fe
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Goodbye to Santa Fe...
Knitting in the Plaza
Goodbye to the beautiful terrain...
Tent Rocks. I call these formations "Queen's Court"
Goodbye to the delicious green chiles...
Goodbye to the stunning sunsets...
I'll miss you guys the most.
So until we find the road to Santa Fe again...goodbye!
Filed Under: Travel | Santa Fe
Monday, October 30, 2006
Last night the car decided it wasn't leaving Santa Fe.
What a horrible sound metal makes when it is dragging on asphalt. Shudder. At least it happened as we were pulling into the parking lot at 15 mph, and not say, as we are hurtling on the freeway at 70 mph come tomorrow. If this gets fixed by then.
Look at that rusted underbelly. The last several months the car has been doing baaaadly. We're hoping to milk another two years out of it. The good thing about being back in Boston is that we won't have to drive anymore. Hang in there buddy!
Here's a much prettier, rust-free photo.
Filed Under: Travel | Santa Fe
Sunday, October 29, 2006
FRIDAY NIGHT
Margaritas, chile rellenos and sopaipillas at Maria's
Dottie takes a swig of her first margarita...
...and doesn't quite make it to her sleeping bag...
"Uuuuuhh..."
SATURDAY
Sight-seeing and shopping around Santa Fe Plaza...
Left: Vintage Route 66 that runs through the Plaza.
Middle: Jewelry vendors in front of the Palace of the Governors. I did all my Christmas shopping here!
Right: Dottie models a pair of hammered silver earrings
...then green chile hamburgers - again! - at Bobcat Bite for a late lunch.
Bring your knitting, no matter the time of day, the wait is loooong
A woman sat next to me in the booth at Bobcat and ordered a grilled cheese sandwich. I know it's on the menu, and this is America and all, but I'm going to make a wild assumption and say it's there mainly for the kiddies who come in. With their highly carnivorous parents. Then...
WOMAN: I'd like a side of potato salad with that as well. Oh wait, does that have meat in it?
WAITRESS: [...] Uh. No. I'm sorry, but. Who puts meat in their potato salad??
WOMAN: Oh I know! I'm a vegetarian, just had to be sure!
WAITRESS, and ME: ?!
SUNDAY
Breakfast at Cafe Pasqual's, downtown Santa Fe
ME: Two eggs on corn tortilla, topped with fresh peas, fresh tomato salsa, feta cheese, black beans, green chile, and side of fried bananas.
DUCK: Chorizo burrito
Like Bobcat Bite, Cafe Pasqual's came at the recommendation of Scout. Thank you for making us as dependant on green chiles as ever! We'd passed by this place many times before but somehow I forgot about it. Thank goodness she brought it up last week when we were at her house, because this place is FAN.TAStic. A little on the $$ side, but totally worth it. There have a been a lot of great places that did not come up during my food research, whether it be in travel books or online, and Pasqual's is one of them. Strange. I'll have to revise my list of Best Restaurants. We're thinking of going back for dinner tonight to make up for our ignorance.
SUNDAY AFTERNOON, or right after I finish this post
Laundry, cleaning, and packing.
WAAAAAAAAAAAAH. Check out the yarn and WIPs and FOs I've accumulated since being here.
Most of them are from the usual online orders, a few are gifts, a few skeins are from the wool festival in Taos, and a couple skeins are from Needle's Eye here in Santa Fe. Those would be the bright blue and orange skeins at top right, colors of the sky and of the adobe walls, to remind me of our time here.
:-( Sniff sniff. But on the very bright side, The Boys await our return. OK not anxiously, but we can pretend.
Filed Under: Postcards from Dottie | Travel | Santa Fe
Friday, October 27, 2006
"How do you do?"
Dottie is a sweet little knitted kitty cat who is seeking a little adventure and fun overseas. Guess who will be the provider of said adventure and fun?
ME. Of course. Because I'm just chock full of both those things. Right?! But hold on I'm getting ahead of things...
"Across the pond and across the country in 2 days!"
Dottie hails from London. Yep, she has already had a bit of traveling under her knitted belt just to make it here.
"Hi. Let's party."
Dottie came with her own "sleeping bag" (hee hee), two Lion Bars (make that A bar. I just ate one) and a surprise skein of sock yarn from Curious Yarns!
So what is she doing so far away from home?
WELL, Dottie is here as a Travel and Adventure Ambassador on behalf of her mum, who is unable to travel and adventure herself. Just last week Hazel sent out a request for an adoption and I immediately responded. Like her, I agree this will be a very amusing swap. After a small flurry of emails, Dottie was quickly produced, packaged, dispatched, et voila! Here to party!
So for as long as Dottie is having fun, I as her host will be showing her around this grand country of mine, and post photos of her various shenanigans for her owner to see.
It's kind of like stealing your neighbor's garden gnome and sending photos back of him in various locales. Except this was a consentual swap, a drama-free and efficient adoption process. (Madonna probably should have considered adopting a knitted cat as well.) (Wait! I kid!)
"Hmm this loft is a bit of a mess."
Dottie has arrived just in time to spend a drunken last weekend with me in Santa Fe. Lucky girl! This afternoon we'll be doing some Christmas shopping in the Plaza, sipping margaritas and chowing on stuffed chiles at Maria's, and if I'm conscious enough afterwards, we'll get some knitting in before the night is over.
And in just a few days, Dottie will be on an exciting if butt-numbing 4-day road trip through the vast states of Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, New York, and Massachusetts - WOW! - before we settle again in Boston where I will introduce her to The Boys, the joys of steamed lobsters, clam chowder, and baked beans 'n molasses.
And, because this trip should be as much instructional as it is gastronomical, I will show her various sites where long ago American insurrectionists laid some whoopass on the Crown of England!
This is going to be a lot fun, and I imagine I'll be taking a lot of pictures of things I normally wouldn't otherwise. Sometimes I'm too lazy to whip out the camera, sometimes I have problems deciding whether a shot is worthwhile, other times I'm too self-conscious. Like taking a photo of your entree at dinner.
Not that photographing a knitted kitty in public won't seem a little odd, but she's an excuse to be just that. I can say, "I'm doing this for a friend! For a good cause!" You know? And hopefully Hazel will enjoy seeing them!
Just a few more hours until we take Dottie out and about. Until then, she surveys her new surroundings: the faux adobe, the brilliant sky and the snow-covered mountains in the distance. Soak it all in Dottie! For we won't be here long! More adventures await...
Filed Under: Postcards from Dottie
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Bleh.
Yet another mismatched pair, using Socks That Rocks. But these socks ain't so rockin'. The manly Poma using size 3 needles turned out much too big, so I decided to try out the stretchy Cable Twist Sock. Now it looks too small. Duck tried both socks and assured the fit was fine for both. Silly man, how is that possible? Meh. I'm not so happy with either at the moment.
And that's all the exciting knitting news I have.
Let's talk food again instead.
Pizza from Uppercrust Pizza, topped with Canandian bacon and duh, green chile.
There are only 5 days left in Santa Fe. 5 days to stuff our faces silly with as much green chile and sopaipillas as possible. Because we sure as hell aren't going to be able to find anything like New Mexican cuisine back home.
Here are our favorite restaurants in SF and our favorite dishes:
Maria's, for their spicy red chile salsa, steak and chile rellenos plate, and of course, their knock-you-out margaritas.
Guadalupe Cafe, for their ancho chiles stuffed with goat cheese and walnuts and smothered with more cheese and more chiles, their sangrias, and most of all, their sopaipillas. I've had sops in half a dozen places are so, and they're not all made the same! Some are too hollow, some are stale, some too crunchy. GC makes theirs with the perfect blend of doughiness and hollowness and crispness. I'm going to miss you guys the most!
Bobcat Bite, for their mouth-watering 10oz hand-ground-on-the-premesis-that-day hamburgers, topped with cheese and green chile of course! We were there for lunch yesterday and yet another small camera crew was on hand, filming back in the kitchen.
Green Chile Burger from Bobcat Bite. And a little grilled chile on the side. HOT!
The Chocolate Maven, for their chile hot chocolate, their desserts, their breakfasts, their sandwiches...
Mu Du Noodles, for their delicious pan-Asian menu, and for when you need a break from another chile-smothered burrito/enchilada/burger.
I'm not ready for a break from the green chile just yet though. Sigh. I'm going to miss those little spicy suckers.
Filed Under: Socks | Travel | Santa Fe
Sunday, October 22, 2006
I love our little Cultural Weekends here in New Mexico. I mean yes, the whole point of CW's has been to experience and see things we've never before, and yet somehow every weekend the new things we experience and see have consistently FAR EXCEEDED our expectations. We're like, ?!!?!!! From little things like the dancing poodle and the sopaipillas to big things like the bat flight, meeting online friends and the chance run-in with tarantulas, every little New Mexican adventures have just been incredible.
This weekend so far has been no exception, even as we stick to Santa Fe. For Sunday brunch we finally went to the famed Chocolate Maven after visiting there several times after work for their spicy chile hot chocolate. We were afraid the wait would be long at this popular joint, but the largish group of people milling around outside wasn't because the place was packed, but because the Food Network was inside filming a segment near the front door. Everyone approaching was asked to wait until they finished.
Giada filming a segment at the Chocolate Maven for her new show, coming in 2007.
Ever watch Everyd@y Italian? I've only seen it a couple of times myself. I'm not sure if it's one of the popular shows on the FoodNetwork but I do know that the host of the show is such a HOTTIE. Icy green eyes, an Audrey Hepburn nose, and rows and rows of perfect teeth. I'm in love! And she was really nice. They were shooting her going through the front door for the "first time," and after about the 20th entrance she yelled nicely to the director, "Can we let these people come in and eat now??"
The waiters and pastry chefs, the manager and owner of the place were all giggly about having the Food Network show up (apparently it was very last minute. The network called Friday to say they were going to be there today to tape), and everyone was excited at the prospect of being on camera.
By pure luck Duck and I got seated at a table near her's, where they would film her ordering hot chocolate and eating homemade granola. The owner said to me, "You might be on camera, will that be OK?" and I was like YEAH HUH!!
It was so interesting to watch the filming process. They had a little discussion as to how the waiter would suggest to her the Mayan Chile Hot Chocolate when she ordered a regular hot chocolate, which would make a nice segue into what a chile hot chocolate was and at the same time, show that that was the bistro's signature drink. She wanted to keep the waiter's explanation of it simple and quick.
"Just say something like, 'It has a lot of spices and comes with a kick', otherwise my audience will just tune out." EEENteresting.
She had a little sip of the hot chocolate (licked her lips afterwards and kept drinking more after the camera stopped rolling), and then a bowl of granola topped with fruit, and after shooting her commentary on that a couple of times, they had the waiters bring around a new mug of hot chocolate and a new bowl of granola for their close-up glamour shots.
Duck and I were sitting sort of behind her table. There were a couple of shots where they had the waiter sweep in from behind me (to serve her the hot chocolate and then the granola) so that with any luck, my frontside and Duck's backside will be on TV!!!! Duck's right earlobe is gonna be famous!
And yes I did manage to appreciate what I was eating in between bites of ogling Giada's movie-star profile. I had Cottage Cakes (pancakes made from less flour and more cottage cheese, and lemon rinds) and Duck had a sandwich consisting of ham, green apples and gruyere. Holy crap it was good. And then to top it all off, at one point Giada -- yes we're on a first-name basis -- turned around, we locked eyes, I grinned, she flashed a gorgeous toothy smile and winked.
HEE HEE HEE PRETTY LADY WINK AT ME!
After they finished filming the eating part, they were going to have Giada get up from her table with the camera following her out of the room. Which meant that I was going to be in the shot again heh heh!
But just at that moment when she swept behind me, I uncontrollably decided to PICK MY NOSE. They did another take, and again I pathologically HAD to touch my nose. And so naturally the camera man decided he didn't want to follow her out the room. She would get up, and instead of following, he would train the camera up and just focus on the pastry chefs working in the adjacent room (you can sort of see the work area behind the glass wall behind where Giada's sitting).
They did that take a couple of times and then the director decided she should wave at the pastry guys as she got up, and they would wave back. Good idea. Except the two pastry chefs were like, actually busy making stuff and couldn't really pay 100% attention to what was going on in the next room. They couldn't get that shot. At least not linearly. She would wave, but then only one of the chefs would see and wave back. Or she would wave, and this time the OTHER chef would wave. Or she would wave, and both of them would ignore her. Ha ha!
So they had to shoot them waving in a separate shot, after she was long gone. They waved to the director, but someone in the editing room will make it look as if they were waving to her.
After our meal, we were at the counter paying for some desserts for dinner at Scout's tonight (the adventures never end!). They were shooting Giada's entrance into Chocolate Maven*again* but before the camera rolled, the camera man leaned over to us and said "Thank you for putting up with us, we really appreciate it." Are you kidding?! It was the most awesome Sunday morning we've ever had!
So this new show is called something like Weekend Getaways with Giada. They're filming a few more restaurants in Santa Fe, and then will head to NYC, Honolulu, Chicago, Cabo, in that order. Not exactly geographically logical, but it seems like fun. Who wouldn't like to travel and eat for a living??
The show doesn't air until sometime in January 2007, so STAY TUNED!
Filed Under: Travel | Santa Fe
|