Yarn Crawl

Weekend Activities and Countries Visited Map

Yesterday was all about Jim's new job.  In the morning, I dropped him off at work and got to meet everyone and tour the plant before I went in to work (a little late, but I had been working late on year end stuff so it works out.) The plant was larger than I expected and the powdercoating process was more complicated than I anticipated. I genuinely liked everyone I met. Then last night we went to a party for Jim's boss who is retiring (one of the owners of the business that he met playing golf and a truly sweet older guy.)   My only issue is that we stayed too long.  We should have left right after the guest of honor left, when the majority of the people there left, but everyone (except me) had a few too many and were attempting to solve the company's issues over cocktails.  I know how it is once you start drinking and don't want to leave somewhere, but it is hard NOT being the one who's doing it.  I was so tired even though it was only like 10:30 - I can't go out late anymore really.  We ended up having a long "discussion" about it once we finally left, and a much better conversation about it this morning and came to an agreement about how we'll handle future events.  I felt like it was something that we'd never really been able to resolve and talk openly about before so I felt really good about the conversation (especially as I wasn't the one doing all the talking.)

Anyway, tonight Jim's friend Tim planned a surprise for my birthday on Monday - all we were told was to show up at the corner of Belmont and Halsted in Chicago at 3:30 p.m. today for an event and plan on dinner afterward at another surprise location.  The interesting thing was, I was telling someone at work about the surprise that Tim had planned and she blurts out "Oh, you're going to go see Blue Man Group! "  I said, that I thought there were some theaters in that section of town but didn't know if it was necessarily that show.  She says, "Oh yeah, it has to be - the Briar (sp?) Street Theater."  So there went that surprise - that was how our day had started out yesterday, with me mentioning this to Jim (which I probably shouldn't have) and him getting all upset about her ruining the surprise.  So then he told Tim (who he works with) about it (I guess we are birds of a feather) and we joked around about it last night.  I am excited to be going, as I haven't seen them before and have heard good things.   So anyway, we booked a limo to pick us up at 2 pm (about 45 minutes from now) and so I thought I would update you all on what I had planned. 

This morning I also worked on Eiffel and am now about 3/4 of the way through the first sleeve!  I've said it before and I'll say it again -  I don't know what I did before I learned to knit.  It has been such a source of comfort to me when I'm upset and a way to relax when I'm stressed.  It was so nice to have something to focus on when I was still so upset over the previous night's goings on and we hadn't had our (good) conversation about it yet. 

So anyway, maybe all of that is too personal, but part of what I like about this blog is being able to write about what's going on in my life and eventually have a record to look back on about what went on when, and hopefully, see some growth in dealing with issues over time.

To lighten things up a bit now:

I saw this on Tricotine's blog and thought I would play along.  These maps take a few minutes to download so either skip them or wait, depending on your level of interest.  I thought they were fun and enjoyed doing the quiz.

The first one shows countries I've visited, and the second one shows specific states I've been to as I haven't been to every one (nor every Canadian province, but they don't have a detailed one for that.) South America is next on my list - probably March 2008. I would love to go to Norway and see the fjords, which is probably the trip after South America, and go to Portugal and the Azores as that is where my mother's family is originally from (before they migrated to Cape Cod area of Massachusetts in the 1800s!) I also definitely need to visit some countries in Asia as well as Australia!   

create your own visited countries map

create your own visited states map

Wicked FO!

Here it is!! Happy Friday!

Yarn: 4 skeins fo Noro Cash Iroha from my stash in green + 1 additional brown skein of Noro Cash Iroha to do the sleeve and bottom edging

Needles: Addi Turbo Size 7s

Modifications:

• did contrasting edging on sleeves and bottom
• eliminated the pocket to save on yarn yardage
• did K2P2 ribbing on the bottom instead of moss stitch

I made the Small size, which works out well with a shirt under it, but I would make Extra-Small if I made it again as a closer-fitting summer top.

Overall, a quick and easy knit and I'm very happy with it!

I got to work on the Skinny Rib Kochoran sweater on some webcasts this week and I finished the back. The front has about three more inches before I start the neck shaping. Here's a half &ss cell phone picture:

I also started my first crochet sweater, which is also done in the round (The Unseamly Sweater from The Happy Hooker book.) I'm hoping I don't have a moebius here. I have to ask the lady at work who knows everything there is to know about crochet (but can't explain anything.) Hopefully she will at least be able to tell me if it's wrong or not. It is V-stitch even though it's difficult to see in the cell phone picture.  I decided to use the "Terracotta Canyon" Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece I had in my stash for this project.  It is a darker peach color than it looks like in the picture, more like "melon."

I also finished Wicked on Tuesday night and was unsure about the K2P2 ribbing I added to the bottom instead of the moss stitch that the pattern directs.  I blocked it to make it less "bubbly" and I think it looks good now.  I'm going to wear it tomorrow with a long sleeve brown jersey top underneath it, a knee length brown skirt and knee high brown boots, so I'll take pictures then!

Can't believe it's Thursday already - this week has flown.  I'm hanging pretty bad today though (too much red wine last night with Jim) but dragged myself to work.  My body is physically here but I feel like my mind is kinda absent. 

Here's a quiz to round out today's post - as we haven't seen any flowers growing for a long time in Chicago, I thought I would do the Which Flower Are You? quiz.  I'm a Rose - and I did get one yesterday from Jim too!  We don't usually do flowers on holidays so it was a pleasant surprise.

Which Flower are You?

You are a Rose:You are creative, sensual, passionate, and bold. You pour your heart into everything that you do. Alluring and gifted with strong sex appeal, you very easily draw people in with your animal magnetism.Symbolsim: The rose has always been a flower heavily loaded with symbolism. In general it symbolizes desire, passion, beauty, and enchantment.
Take this quiz!

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Wordless Wednesday

SP10 Questionnaire

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?

Merino wool, cashmere and/or blends of those - love Noro Cash Iroha, Brooks Farm Riata; not crazy about cotton except for Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece and Rowan Calmer; not fond of acrylic or eyelash yarn

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?

The Circular Solution for my needles; a divided plastic box for the hooks.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?

I've been knitting since January 2005 - I learned at my LYS.  I'd say I'm intermediate.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?

Yes - here's the link!

5. What's your favorite scent?

Anything fresh and light - lemon, fresh linen, fresh water/sea air

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?

Yes - milk chocolate is good.  I love anything with peanut butter or caramel mixed with chocolate.  I also like goofy "kid candy" like sour patch kids and Willy Wonka gobstoppers.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?

Crochet, sewing, jewelry making.  I don't spin.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)

I like a lot of different kinds of music, hard to categorize, really.  My iPod has everything in it from classical to rock to alternative to Big Band.  Yes, MP3s are great.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?

I love green, red (orangey-red rather than blue-red), yellow - basically every warm colors.    Neutrals like chocolate brown, gray, cream, black and white are also faves. I hate baby blue, pale lavender, mint green and most cool colors as they don't look good on me.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?

Married, two 14-year old cats.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?

I like hats, but only certain kinds.  I like Bonne Marie's Felted Bucket hat, close-fitting crochet caps and the newsboy tam style hats.  I hate jester hats or standard ribbed hats.  Scarves are OK but I don't wear them much.  Mittens and ponchos - no.  I do like gloves and capelets though.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?

Sweaters.

13. What are you knitting right now?

Sweaters - please check my WIP list on the sidebar for specifics.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?

Although I love to make and give handmade gifts, I'm not big on receiving them.  Weird, I know.

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

Circulars only - Addi turbos or Lantern Moon circulars.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?

Yep!  I have both.

17. How old is your oldest UFO?

Probably six months old (the Debbie Bliss Lace & Bobble Jacket.)

18. What is your favorite holiday?

Memorial Day.  I love summer and Memorial Day, to me, is a celebration of the beginning of summer. 

19. Is there anything that you collect?

Rowan Magazines - I have almost all of them though now except some of the really old ones.  I buy all of the Rebecca magazines too, but I don't have the latest one as I haven't seen it in my local yarn shops.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?

JB 41 (Jaeger pattern book), JB 42.  I subscribe to Interweave Knits, Vogue knitting, Knit Scene, Knit.1, Cast On and Crochet Today.  I'd love an Interweave Crochet subscription or if they even offer it in the US, a Rebecca subscription.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?

I think I've learned most of them, but haven't made projects with all of them yet.  I've never made a whole project with intarsia or entrelac yet.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?

I'm a lukewarm sock knitter.  I like them OK but am much more into sweaters.  I take a size 6 medium shoe, but my feet are a little wide across the toes, if that helps.

23. When is your birthday?

February 19th.

Weekend Recap

Ok, so here's how my weekend started. Sitting in the bedroom with Gilda, watching a movie and working on Wicked. Don't ask why there's still an old VHS video camera in the bedroom. Let's just say neither Jim nor I will be running for public office.  Just kidding....

Here's Wicked (still in progress.) I think the brown edging is looking good - I decided to do K2P2 ribbing at the bottom instead of moss stitch. Did anyone else do this? I thought it made that section more cohesive with the cable sections.

Here's a close-up of one of the arms:

Here's a pic of my Kochoran Skinny Rib sweater right before I divided the front and back. I got about four inches done on the back after I took this picture. I can't believe I started this one last Sunday!! It's going really quickly.

I even worked on my first Eiffel sleeve again - here's a modelled pic as it doesn't look like much off my arm. I think I have about three more inches to go. I have the toughest time with sleeves as my arms are short but have some muscle to them.

I started my first actual crocheted object - I have just done swatches before. I'm using the Blue Sky Alpaca crochet belt pattern, but since I can't find my Blue Sky Alpaca organic cotton, I decided to use a skein I had of Noro Silk Garden. Might not have been a good idea - as it's BLACK and I can't really see the stitches. Duh! Here it is so far:

And here's what it's supposed to look like:

Got some sewing patterns that I ordered earlier last week: I am going to attempt the one on the bottom left with long sleeves (cut off by the picture to get all the other patterns in) in a jersey knit, with my serger.  I will be trying a plain skirt first though.

Here's the knit fabric I bought for the dress:

I think that's it for the weekend - you already heard about the serger yesterday, so I won't mention that again.  Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Got My Serger!

I got my serger yesterday and learned how to thread it - it actually wasn't that difficult. I do get a little confused with the last pass inside the machine for the upper and lower loopers, but I'm sure I'll remember it with practice. Here's a pic of my new "baby"...

I am trying to figure out when I can get in to do my three lessons as they said they are booked on Saturdays until April (?!? anyone who thinks sewing is "dead" should know about that little fact) and their last appt during most weekdays is 3 pm, 4 pm on Thursdays. I would normally be able to go over there at lunch, or leave early one day, as it's not too far from my work, but with the temporary "sharing a car" situation it's too hard to do right now.

In other good news, Jim did get PAID on Friday, and they didn't reduce his check by much for the "training period" as I was worried about, so he was RIGHT about everything working out. I guess it's not a big deal in any event as he was making *zero* for the last almost two years, but it's more about me not wanting to see his time and hard work go undercompensated.

He is so laid back about things like that, thinking that things will always work out, whereas I am always pretty vigilant about it being me vs. the employer and an adversarial relationship to some degree. I know I really have no reason to feel that way as haven't gotten screwed over by an employer for years, but I am just careful. Anyway, we may be out of the "sharing a car" thing soon as it is becoming apparent that his car may be unfixable.

Here's my serger's debut on YouTube - I thought I would run a piece of fabric through to show what it does. It's not narrated, but you can easily see how it's cutting the fabric as it's finishing the seam.

Charlotte Capelet Version 1 and 2

First version of the Charlotte Capelet from Rowan 38:  I made this one last year out of Rowan's Ribbon Twist.  I followed the directions on this one and knitted it flat, although both pieces are the same.  I needed to block the pieces to seam it together as the edges curled quite a bit pre-blocking, but I didn't really mind the actual seaming part as it was reverse stockinette and easy to get an invisible seam.

Here's the one I just finished Sunday - I started this one on Friday and finished it Sunday.  According the determination made on the Sweater A Month KAL, capelets count as sweaters, so I am officially done with my 2nd sweater (for February).  I still think I will be done with Wicked by the end of the month, as I got my one skein I needed of brown Cash Iroha to do the bottom and the edging on the sleeves, but I wanted to build in some "cushion" in case I want to do some sewing for awhile, etc. once the serger comes in on Saturday.  I know, I'm taking this way too seriously, like everything else! 

But anyway, I knitted this new capelet from 2 1/2 skeins of Rowan Big Wool in the "Cloak" colorway I had left over from knitting my father in law's sweater last Christmas.  I knitted this one in the round, and only had to make one minor adjustment to the pattern for the decreases to make them on the purl (public) side.  Forgive the goofy look on my face and purple lips- I look like Ms. Dracula or maybe the Bride of Frankenstein- red wine.  'Nuff said.

Happy Friday!!!!  It couldn't have come quickly enough this week!

What Color Green Are You?

This is all I can muster today...no new pics, but I get my serger on Saturday!

You Are Mint Green

Balanced and calm, you have mastered the philosophy of living well. Your friends seek you out for support, and you are able to bring stability to chaotic situations. You're very open and cheerful - and you feel like you have a lot of freedom in life. Your future may hold any number of exciting things, and you're ready for all of them!

What Color Green Are You?

Wordless Wednesday!