Quickie

Just a little update as I've been rather quiet lately. The quiet has been because of the lack of good weather. It makes me so grumpy and blah feeling. Fortunately yesterday was a delightful 82° but it hasn't been all that long ago (just over a week) that we had a 36° morning. And let's not even discuss the rain. So yeah, solar powered as I am, I have not been having a good spring. We still have the plastic over the screened porch and I can't even begin to guess when we can put the pool up. It's all very depressing. Boo.

I've been managing to get some knitting done, though. Currently I'm working on a (slightly obnoxiously colored) pair of socks. I'm hoping to have those done in the next week to ten days. I'm sure I'll post about them when they are done, but you can hit the link above to see some in-progress pics (if, for some reason, you actually care). They are working up a bit snug due to the stitch pattern. Hopefully I won't have to find them a home when they are done.

In other news, the house next door has officially been sold. The new owners have been moving their things in all day. So there goes Dan's side job of lawn mowing. I don't think he'll extend the offer to the new neighbors - the last year or so he's been hoping our old neighbors would decide to cut their own lawn, regardless of how nice a bit of extra cash is. But they did end up paying for our old lawn mower, one mow at a time, so we can't be too unhappy with how that all worked out. Also good news, the new neighbors appear to be an older couple. Grandkids are always a possibility, but it does look like they will be overall a quite family to have next door. Fingers crossed.

Speaking of moving, Dan and I are semi-officially looking for a new home. Semi-officially for the next few weeks and then, at the end of May, officially. I imagine it will take us a while to find exactly what we want as we are both quite picky so who knows when we will actually be moving, but we are hoping for Christmas in a new house. I've already offered up my potential new dining room for the family dinner!

And in the last bit of news, playoff hockey starts tonight. Both my team and Dan's made it in. Yay! The Ducks were #2 in the Western Conference (& the Pacific Division winners) while they Blues were #4 (and #2 in the Central Division). Naturally, I'd love to see one of our teams win, but I'm kind of prepared for Chicago to hoist the cup. They've been burning it up this year.

And that's all the news that is (or isn't) news at the moment. All rather boring. But with nicer weather comes more activity! So I hope today's and yesterday's sun means normal weather is here to stay. I really need to soak up some vitamin D!

I Knit Ridiculous Things

Sigh. I am apparently attracted to knitting ridiculous things. Take my latest project:

Yes, I knit myself a flat cap. I rarely even wear hats! Yet I sort of adore this one, mostly because of the absurdity. But outside of the absurdity of knitting a flat cap, I think it's pretty awesome.

Notes, additional pictures and random rambling are here on Ravelry. I'll admit, I'm kind of thinking of doing a second one in a more summer-appropriate yarn. So nuts!

Just In Time For Summer!

In the past few days, the weather has finally become spring-like. Just in time for my latest knit project to be ready to wear! Cuddle socks!

They are wonderful - soft and slouchy and they make me want to cuddle up under an afghan and read as soon as I put them on.

Which means I probably won't be able to wear them until Thanksgiving. If that means the weather stays nice, I'll be okay with that. (Though I probably will pet them before then. They are really soft! They have angora in them!)

It's Not Knitting!

Look, I'm posting about something that isn't knitting! I suppose it is still technically craft-related, but it's craft beer, not arts & crafts.

Yep, we went on another brewery tour! This one was Revolver Brewing. It's a really small brewery - it was new to Dan, probably because they don't even have a bottling machine, yet. All of their beer is sold in kegs at local restaurants & bars.

Yep, a pretty small and new brewery, but Dan liked the logo (it is cool, isn't it?) so he was up for going to an event that would get us some beer glasses with a nifty logo. And we'd get to try some new beers, which is always a bonus.

They had five beers on tap, four of which are their normal ones and one super-special one that ran out really quickly (but not before Dan had a glass of it). They had a wheat beer that I was interested in trying (because I like wheat beers best, typically), but their Revolver Bock was my favorite (Dan's too, actually).

  

Actually, both Dan and I were really pleased with the beers on offer. Even the ones I didn't like were still smooth and drinkable. Even their American blonde ale (their "normal" beer) was pretty good.

We each had four "punches" available; each punch got us half of a 16-oz glass' worth of beer. Of course, their definition of "half" was a bit more generous than I think what you'd find in the dictionary. I did drink all of my bock and most of my wheat. Dan had my other two punches.

Needless to say, I drove home.

I'm Full

Well, I just rearranged my yarn cabinet to squeeze my newest purcahses in there. Things are getting a little snug!

The top shelf is three deep on the left and two deep on the right. The shortbread is full of smaller balls of thread. The middle shelf is three deep all the way across except for the shortbread tin (which is stuffed with mostly-used-but-not-quite-gone balls of yarn). The third shelf is mostly just one deep - all the skeins are laying lengthwise and stacked up - with just a single layer of other goodies stacked in front on the left.

Yeah, it's a bit full. But it's not that bad. I mean, I don't even need to squish things to get the doors closed!

Of course, this doesn't mean I need to stop buying yarn. But maybe I need to rearrange things on the other shelves of my cabinet to give the yarn more room to expand.

And knit faster. That would help, too.

ETA: Oops. I just got the mail and it had a lovely package that had two more balls of yarn. Looks like I need to find some room!

Like A Bandit

Today was a big day. It was the much-anticipated DFW Fiber Fest outing day. Or, as I have been calling it, Yarn Day. I spent way too much money (because Dan is a dirty, rotten enabler) and got some way awesome goodies.

See? (Clicking on a pic will take you to Flickr where I have the names and fiber content of each yarn cause they are simply that delicious.)

            

Crazy wonderful, yes? YES!

I'll admit, for some reason I was super attracted to the bright, somewhat obnoxious stuff. (Please note my dayglo pink and acid green lovelies. Seriously, their intensity cannot be accurately portrayed through photographs.) Dan did manage to steer me away from the bright rainbow colors, though. Most of my goodies have a 90% likelihood of being socks - now I know I love knitting socks and one skein will give me a pair, so win win! Dan also got a couple of skeins of socks (the two darker orange ones) so he's gonna get some socks, too!

Also exciting, I got a huge variety of types of yarn. Even some with buffalo! I can't wait to see how everything knits up! Yay! Happy Yarn Day!

More Socks!

And it's another project I get to mark as finished! My Turkish bed socks!

Footies are rather hard to photograph attractively, but I did what I could. You can see how they actually fit on my Ravelry project page (link above) if you are just dying to see them being worn.

Anyway, it was a really neat, quick and interesting project. Honestly, I think I could totally make them again without wanting to claw my eyes out (somewhat of a rarity as I'm usually not one for repeating patterns).

I'm totally getting into this whole knitted sock thing. Which is good, because I'm already working on a new pair! I'm about two thirds of the way done with the first sock and so far it's super cute. Hopefully I'll finish the first sock and be able to cast on for the second on this weekend. (I am trying the whole one at a time thing with the socks to see how it works. I will admit, while this way makes the sock seem to go quicker, I'm a little sad knowing I'm only almost half way done instead of being almost completely done, you know?)

I swear, someday something non-knitting related will happen in my life and I'll post about that. Promise!

BUTTONS!

I finally got my buttons today! Yay!

Of course, I was so busy that I wasn't able to put the buttons on until late tonight. But what matters is that I got it done! Which means I have a sweater!

(Yes, the picture was taken in our guest bathroom. We have a very limited number of mirrors in the house. As in two. I don't even have a full length mirror. Instead, I just stand on the edge of the tub. It's worked for nine years so I've felt no need to change it, but I might need to revisit since I keep finding the need to take pictures of myself in sweaters.)

Anyway, for the absolute best results, I probably should have used some kind of bracer button on the back of the buttons to give a bit of support because they are quite large (just under 1.5") and the sweater is a more drape-y llama (versus a sturdier, springier wool). Eh, live and learn. But I don't think it will be a problem. (Hopefully those don't go down as famous last words.) And honestly, I pretty much never button cardigans anyway so they shouldn't get much of a work out.

Hopefully the sweater will get a lot of use, though! I was wearing a tank top underneath it in the above photo and I think it is a good sign that I didn't find the sweater itchy. And lately I've been finding everything itchy. I've had to cut out tags in the back of shirts that I've worn for years. No idea why my skin is being so sensitive lately, but it didn't mind the llama & silk so yay!

Next up: seaming my purse (and then learning to use my sewing machine to line it) and working on my Turkish bed socks. Then, once those are done, I'm thinking another pair of socks and another sweater! I'm insane!

Still No Buttons

Per USPS tracking, my sweater's buttons are theoretically somewhere between Maine and here. Or else they are still in Maine. Waiting. Just like me.

So I've made more dishcloths.

And yes, those are in addition to the ones I have already made. Plus another one that isn't as attractively photographed so I'm not posting it here.

Anyway, I've basically killed off all of my stash of kitchen-worthy cotton (I have other cotton yarns but they are much too lovely for using for a dishcloth or potholder). So my waiting has been productive, at least. Because now I have more room for pretty things.

Which is good. Because next month is the DFW Fiber Fest. Oh yeah. I've checked out the vendor list and I've already given myself permission to blow my month's discretionary budget so I'm gonna need the room.

But for now, I WANT BUTTONS!

Still Waiting

I am still waiting impatiently for my buttons to arrive. While I'm waiting, I've decided to not start another big project, so I've been burning through some of my old cotton yarns making more kitchen-related things. I've made another dishcloth and a couple of potholders.

It's all very exciting. Okay, maybe not that exciting. But it is something to do while waiting for buttons.

Something New

We bought a new toy. It's a lens. A pretty pretty lens. Naturally, I have no pictures of it cause it's on my camera. I'd much rather take pictures with it. Which is what I've been doing lately. See?

Anyway, it's a Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM. Which means no more kit lens. It's all very exciting!

I Made Something!

I've been impatiently waiting on my sweater to dry so I can try it on to see if the sleeves need to be reknit. It's a thick yarns so it's drying slowly. Checking it every two hours is not speeding it up.

So I decided to distract myself by knitting something else.

It's just a dishrag but it was a great project to kill a few hours - both to keep me from checking on my sweater and to occupy my hands on a trip to my parents' house.

I have, as you can see, already used it. It's fabulous - nubby and thick and super scrubby. I like it!

Except... my sweater isn't quite dry yet. I might need to knit another one.

Please Let This Work!

I have finished my sweater!

Well, sort of. It's in the back room drying right now and I do have to weave end the ends. Normally I do that before blocking, but I have this fear that the sweater will lengthen after blocking, making the sleeves too long. If that's the case, I'll have to rip back and reknit them to the proper length. I could just be looking for trouble with that thought, though. Mostly because this sweater turned out not the be the super easy project I anticipated.

Part of that less-than-super-easy bit was the pattern itself. The arm started way high. If I had followed the pattern as written, I would have made an article of clothing that would double as a way to slowly saw my arms away from my body. So there was some adaptation-related math there (which I was hoping to avoid after my last math-heavy adapted sweater). Then, it ended up too short, too. It just looked... frumpy. So I needed to lengthen the sweater and also wanted make the sleeves full-length. (I love my first sweater and wear it quite often but sometimes my wrists get cold.)

Anyway, the desire for a longer length meant my yarn was going to run tight. Which was where most of the stress from this sweater came from. I've spent the last two days thinking, "I hope I have enough yarn. Please let me have enough yarn" with every stitch. Because of this, I ended up doing the sleeves, ripping them back some (too short), adding length to the back, doing most of the sleeves except the border, doing the collar, then going back to the sleeves. I even ended up having to weigh my yarn at the end to see if I could get all ten rounds of the border in for the sleeves (I couldn't. I got nine.) But I got it all done and yes, I had enough yarn.

Barely.

Yes, that little squish of yarn is all of the leftover I have from my seven skeins. It's about a yard and a half - just enough to use to sew some buttons on (once I get them in the mail). Notice that it is all crinkly? Yeah, I had to rip out my gauge swatch to finish up the sleeves!

But everything seems to have worked! And I must say, the yarn is lovely. It's Plymouth Yarn Royal Llama Silk - a 60% llama 40% silk blend and it feels so soft and cuddly! It's really warm, too - this is totally a winter sweater. But I loved knitting with the yarn. Hopefully I'll enjoy wearing the sweater just as much!

Oh Dear

I'm afraid ONK (outdoor neighbor kitty) is now pregnant. Her tummy is a bit rounder than normal and feels fairly solid. But the thing that really makes me think there are impending kittens is the fact that her tummy and nipples are a bit lumpy and swollen. Like she's getting ready to make milk. Sigh.

Fortunately, the weather has turned nicer so we haven't been worried about her being outside at night, thus we are keeping our garage closed. Which means chances are low that she will have her kittens in our garage. Because while I want to steal the neighbor's cat, I don't want to be responsible for another litter of kittens. I still remember when Gidget's babies grew big enough to get into the tub. They had a grand ole time in there and it would sound like a bowling ball was being rolled up and down the tub's length. They especially liked to play in there at three in the morning.

But back to ONK. Dan spoke to the neighbor dad a couple of weeks ago and while the dad doesn't really care for the cat, the mother and son love and care for her. Knowing that, we've been less tempted to steal the neighbor kitty (since we know they'd actually miss her). But now we are a bit sad knowing that there is yet another litter of most likely unplanned (and unwanted) kittens about to come into the world.

Also, ONK heavily shies away from hands now. She's been developing the hand shyness the past few months but today it was really severe - she would barely let me touch her at first. Though as soon as I sat on the ground she crawled into my lap and then had no problem with pets. But it makes me sad to think of what has made her that cautious and hesitant.

See, this is why we have six cats (and have had up to eight at once). I'm a huge softie! Must stay firm when kitten appear, though. Must. Stay. Firm.

I Am Deaf

Last night, Dan and I went out to House of Blues Dallas to see Tyler Bryant and the Shakedown. (My favorite songs are Last One Leaving, Lipstick Wonder Woman, Big Time and My Radio if you want to have a listen.)

It was quite a bit different from our outing to the Kessler a couple of weeks ago. Standing room only, for one thing, and I'm pretty sure there was a high school field trip there too. But the main difference was the volume. The Kessler wasn't exactly quiet, but OMG, last night was loud. My ears felt stuffy for a good two hours afterwards.

The music and the band were both good (well, the opening act had a few not-good moments but excluding those few songs) and I enjoyed listening. But it did bring up the problem I have with live music - I don't know what to do. I liked listening and enjoyed the music, but live music just tends to not occupy my mind enough and I get distracted and a bit fidgety. (It's the same reason I can't listen to audiobooks except when driving (or sometimes knitting). Any other time and my mind starts wandering and I realize I haven't heard anything. If I am doing something else (driving), my mind is occupied and I can actually listen.) Last night wasn't like that the whole night, but after about 45 minutes or so, I wished I had brought my knitting.

Yes, I am posting about a concert saying it was too loud and I wish I had brought my knitting. I realize this means that I am old. (But don't worry, the high school contingent at the concert last night had already clued me in to that fact.)

So Many Beards Were Seen

Look! It's a post about a non-knitting happening! Yeah, I've been very knitting-focused lately but that's because I've been knitting a lot. But while there was some knitting yesterday, that was not the big thing. (Also, a preemptive apology for the horrible quality of the media in this post. Gotta love cell phones!)

Last night, Dan and I went out to the hipster section of Dallas and eventing occurred! First, we went to Bolsa. It's a non-huge and fairly casual restaurant but the food... They have a limited and rotating menu and their ingredients are organic and local and all that other hippie goodness. I had quail over braised collards and mashed sweet potatoes and OMG, I must learn how to cook collards like that. (Of course, my entire entree was wonderful but the collards were mind-blowing. Please note I'm saying that about collards so that should give you an indication of the yum of this place.) Dan had a beet mushroom risotto that was just perfect and dessert included a magazine-worthy walnut pear tart. Totally delicious and definitely somewhere we want to go again. But that wasn't the coolest thing.

After dinner, Dan and I went to the Kessler.

It's this small but neat old theatre that's been turned into, basically, a listening room. Which is why we went there, because our favorite artist, Mike Doughty, was performing.

It was an awesome show. It did start a little late because Mike was involved in a car accident on his way to the theatre. Apparently there was a mattress set on the highway and he hit it, then got rear ended. So I can't imagine he was feeling all that great during the show but you totally couldn't tell. Seriously awesome. And this is coming from someone that doesn't really enjoy live music when I know the songs. So yeah, thumbs up all around.

If you aren't familiar with Mike Doughty, seriously go check him out. (Also, he's of the mindset that it helps artists to have people listening to their music, no matter how they acquired that music so feel free to go hunt down some of his stuff.) His covers of The Gambler and Take Me Home, Country Roads are awesome as is I Just Want The Girl In The Blue Dress To Keep On Dancing, 27 Jennifers, (You Should Be) Doubly (Gratified), Na Na Nothing... and a ton of other stuff. Go! Listen!

ETA: Hey, Dan found a write up about the show last night! (And yep, he did have quite the mouth on him!)

Fabulous!

My socks are now all dried and blocked and I tried them on....

OMG, they are fantastic. I loved them before but I more than love them now. They are fantastic! I want to make socks for everyone now so they can feel the awesomeness of handknit socks! AH! I'm in love!