Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Where has this month gone? Unfortunately I've been getting used to not blogging.
Dottie soaks up some Provencal sun in the medieval town of Les Arcs, southern France
It's been a real busy month or so, between the moving and the trip (planned MUCH MORE in advance than the move) and work. I've hardly knit, and I wasn't going to blog until my Sockapalooza socks arrived, so at least I'd have something to blog about...They're not here yet though, but I've been assured they're on their way.
Enjoying the flower market in Aix
In the meantime, my sock pal, Faith, has received her Twisted Flowers Socks. The whole package took a little detour before getting to its final destination: my departure date coincided with the deadline, so I decided I'd be all efficient and swing by the post office on the way to the airport. Unfortunately the post office had moved 2 blocks further down, which isn't a big deal but with 100 degree weather and a haul of luggage it might as well have been 2 miles away. So into my carry-on it went for a little joyride to Europe and back. So much for efficiency and finishing early. The funny thing is up until recently Faith was based in Germany (she's in NY for now), and when she goes back the socks in its short life will have traveled across the Atlantic three times.
It's a miracle I didn't lose them. I brought my Drunken Bees with me - very nicely did they keep my toes toasty on the plane - and now I have no idea where they are. :-(
Maybe they escaped and are hiding here with all the other drunken bees.
Filed Under: Postcards from Dottie | Sockapalooza | Travel
Thursday, August 02, 2007
Sockapalooza 4 socks - and some extras - are ready for their sendoff tomorrow! I'm sending them on the early side because they are going overseas...
And so are we. There will be sun, sea, olives, drunken bees in lavender ready for harvesting, lots of wine and good good food. And family. Ah yes it's been a tough lifestyle we've been living these past few weeks I tell you. ;) (Though I have to say, boy am I tired.) Catch you in a coupla weeks...
Filed Under: Socks | Sockapalooza | Twisted Flower
Monday, July 30, 2007
Here at last is the pattern for the Drunken Bees Socks. Fair warning, the pattern is not laid out to a T. I've left out specifics like how to do a cable, how to knit a heel turn and the toe, and all those very macro details like how many stitches to knit across first before you start the heel, how to distribute stitches, etc. If you're an experienced sock knitter - as in you've knit at least one or two socks - you don't need to know exactly how, so I don't want to fluster myself trying to spell it all out!
All you need is the chart and you can work out the rest to your liking.
But feel free to contact me if something makes no sense or looks wrong.
For more photos, see here.
DRUNKEN BEES SOCKS
Yarn: Fingering weight sock yarn. To really show the pattern, use semi-solid to solid colors.
Needles: 5 size 1 dpns (or whichever method you prefer for circular knitting) for S/M foot, Size 2 for L foot.
Pattern is deliciously squishy and should stretch comfortably to fit.
For socks that pull in a little more, you can knit through the back loop of every yarn over that was done in the previous row.
CAST ON:
CO 69 sts. Distribute 17 sts on 3 needles, 18 sts on one needle
CUFF:
Repeat (k2, p1) ribbing until cuff is 1 inch long or desired length.
Begin last row of ribbing with a k2tog.
Now you have 68 sts to work leg pattern.
Slip stitches =
RS: repeat (sl1,k1) to end
WS: sl1, then p to end
LEG:
Work leg pattern chart 3 times, or to desired length (make note of where you left off).
HEEL FLAP & HEEL TURN:
Divide sts so that there are 33 sts for the heel flap, and 35 sts for the instep. Make sure you split in such a way as to allow two "honeycomb" patterns to continue down the side of the heel. I started the divide in the middle of a bee flight pattern. You might have to knit across some stitches to get to the start of heel.
Slip first stitch of every row. Except for the honeycomb patterns and the purl gutters, knit the heel in slip-stitch pattern, until you've worked 26-30 rows.
See chart above.
Follow flap with your preferred heel turn. I used a square heel.
GUSSETT:
Pick up the slipped stitches on side of heel flap, and continue chart pattern for instep.
INSTEP:
The instep is symmetrical. For the first and last 6 stitches of the instep, follow the first 6 stitches of the "bee flight" leg pattern chart (stitches 6-11). Or, just knit them in Stockinette. Or ribbed. Whatever you want.
Continue until desired length, then knit your preferred toe method.
Bzzzz!
Filed Under: Socks | Drunken Bees
Friday, July 27, 2007
Our first meal when we moved in consisted of champagne, left on the kitchen counter by the previous owner with a nice little note, and Wendy's. After moving we craved nothing but alcohol and grease.
The boys wanted to join in the fun, but we shoo'd them back down. Veebs was such an obedient cat that he made an immediate U-turn. 
Bunny, however, would not be deterred. So we had to bring up the vacuum to stand sentinel next to the stairs. Bunny hates the vacuum, almost as much as other people sneezing. If we could get the vacuum to sneeze with a press of a remote button, we would have a fail-proof way of deterring Bunny from the stairs forever.
Sunset over Boston.
I likes living here.
Filed Under: Life
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Sorry for the lack of any. The capable folks at comcast have not provided us with any internet access though they have commercials on teevee (which we can't watch because also, no cable) that advertise the EASE of transitioning through a move. All you have to do before your move is to go their web site and update your address and poof! your account will transition seamlessly to your new home.
Only we don't really trust web sites, probably because it is our profession to make web sites, and we know something you probably might already guess, which is that web sites, especially the biggest most corporate ones, are strung in place with the floss of cotton candy, so we called someone and talked to a real live person who also assured us the transition would be seamless, and well that person probably used the web to put in our ticket. So, no internet.
No internet, and no water. I mean, first there was water, and just when I got my hair piled high and the shampoo at its most sudsiest, there wasn't.
The single guy in the lower unit is renovating. After I finished my shower via bottled water, I asked him to give a heads up before his plumber shuts off the water to the entire building. I did it with a smile though, as it was the first time I was meeting this fellow building-mate (we met the other occupant below the day we moved in and WOW is she BUBBLY!!!). My first impression of him is already wobbly, but there was no need for him to feel the same about me!
(I also have this fantasy of being BFF's with all my neighbors where on warm summer evenings we'd all sit on the front stoop of our buildings and chitchat over a glass of wine. I've witnessed this scene countless of times already on other stoops. I've wanted to join in. And then I'd remember, Right. I am DEATHLY AFRAID OF PEOPLE.)'
Over the weekend we had found out from neighbors that he had a penchant for not paying his condo fees on a time which is why the other owners got a separate building management involved to go after him...but then last winter the building management didn't shovel the sidewalk well enough so all the occupants were fined by the city of Boston.
Lose-lose situations are sometimes funny.
Before that, an occupant in the second unit had gassed him or herself. Not so funny.
And way before that, this building housed a stained-glass and mosiac studio. One neighbor in the rowhouse adjacent is trying to find out the name of the artist, who she claims has important works in old churches around Boston.
Mosaic glass tiles circa 1920 (?)
Hee!
More photos soon...when I can find the USB cables...
Filed Under: Life
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Oh hi!
We have moved into our city condo, and we are very very very very very very happy.
Very.
The unpacking is taking much longer than I thought it would. Two days to unpack the kitchen, that's all I've been able to do so far. With the smaller space there's nowhere to put the pile of trash, nowhere to move...so after organizing our stuff for one room we have to diligently organize the trash as well. Breakdown all boxes, dissolve the dissolve-able peanuts, separate the styofoam from the plastic bubble wraps, unfurl the crumpled newspapers used for wrapping and put them in neat stacks for recycling and disposal later. It's taking more time than anything else but what can you do? Welcome to city livin'!
Yay!
Filed Under: Life
Friday, July 06, 2007
So is everyone a spinner except for me? There's been spinning goodness popping all over the web lately, and I've especially been drooling over this and this and this and this. Beautiful stuff. If someone would teach me how to spin, I could supply my own fleece.
My own little angora factory. It never runs out.
This is cute little Bunny Bunniton's ugly side. He sheds easily, he sheds enormously and he sheds daily. Year-round, non-stop, even in winter but oh so much worse in summer.
Owning such a loose-follicled Bunny such as this one is not for the faint of nose. Unfortunately he doesn't understand this and absolutely hates it when you sneeze. If he's nearby and you're feeling even the slightest tickle coming on, he will know and he will hop hop hop fast away and out of sight before your first achoo, and not before shooting you the most LOATHSOME of glares. One of these days I'll have to get that look of his on camera. I have never seen such pure, human hatred out of any pair of eyes than his.
Sometimes though I will use that to my advantage. When he is insistent on sitting in my lap, and I am insistent on him not, I'll just feign a sneeze coming on, and watch him run off faster than a cheetah on wheels.
Poor Bunny. I should not be so mean. Luckily I am not allergic to him, and even if I were, I'd do everything it takes not to be. Like Duck has. Now with enough over-the-counter medication and mandatory exposure, his eyes swell only half-way shut, his nose clogs in only the left nostril and he hardly turns to me anymore to say, "Let me die."
His previous owners must not have had such fortitude. They must have sneezed violently all the time, they must have laughed cruelly at his unusual tail, and in the end what could you do with such a defective cat but to send him away? When he shoots me that dirty look and runs off like that, I try not to take it personally. He's just afraid he might be going back to the animal shelter.
Filed Under: Cats
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
 Yesterday we were allowed into the condo so we could take measurements for the move. The beloved purple and greenish couch is in danger of being left behind, sad face. But keep fingers crosssed that the movers are really worth what they're getting paid...
Once in though I quickly scampered to the roofdeck. Since it was raining cats and dogs during our first viewing, I had only a hazy impression of what it was like.
So this is what it's like, on a picture perfect summer's afternoon. View of the Hancock Tower - skinny side facing - unobstructed views of the neighborhood, no other decks to the immediate side of ours. La.
Luckily Duck was around because I never took the measuring tape out. Too busy imagining the first thing I was going to do on the roof. Immediately buy some plants for the start of my little urban garden? Put a couple of potted hedges here, here and here? Sunbathe and read? Sunbathe and knit? Sunbathe and read and knit over a tall glass of drink? What kind of drink? If I get too groggy from the liquor and the sun, the stairs might be too dangerously steep for me to navigate, so maybe we should sleep out here the first night? Roll out the sleeping bags and have ourselves a camping trip, count the number of low-flying planes we see ascend and descend under the urban sky?
This will be great fun.
When I finally made my way back inside, I snuck more than a few peaks at the photos lining the fridge, the wall, the shelves. A natural curiousity got a hold of me, the same sort that had me google the name of the buyers of our house to see who they were besides just the buyers of our house (I put all our photos away for our open house and inspection, I'm such a hypocrite!).
Today though I wasn't just curious to see what a twenty-something single gal living alone in a fabulous pad her parents bought looked like.
I was curious to see what OUR child might look like.
Bahahaha.
I mentioned in the previous post that the buyers of our house are the same demographic as Duck and me. Well guess what, the sellers are too! We're keepin' it all in the family!
So I was just curious, you know, as to how their daughter, who lives in the condo, looked.
It was for, ah, research.
I don't even know what I'm saying.
I guess I'm a little fascinated with the phenotype of a mixed-race couple...in other words, what a potential Junior CatDuck would look like...in other words, whether our children would be exotic-looking...in other words...
Whether our children would be hot.
We should not be allowed to have children.
(Even if they might turn out to have honey-blonde colored hair, ooooo!!)
Filed Under: Life
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