I knit and watch movies, too.

Still pretty much the only thing I've been working on.

2007-06-10T11:47:00.000-04:00

10 squares done, whoo! Actually, I've completed two more since this was taken. Click through to Flickr to see the colorway #s.

I've bought 12 more colors from the store (including two discontinued ones that were hiding in the stockroom) and Cirilia graciously donated two discontinued colors from her stash. That brings me up to 24 squares. I could go to 25 and call it a day... but 30's a nice, round number, too. Right? Right??

Soon: a HUGE huge hank of sock yarn, handspun from this by moi.

MA Sheep and Wool, baby!

2007-05-28T11:48:00.000-04:00

It was a blast! Thanks mostly to my three awesome companions, Cirilia, Val, and Huelo. The trip to Cummington was so easy, and the weather was gorgeous. We did a preliminary run through of the fair, ate some food (it was a veggie burger, damnit, a VEGGIE burger!), but oh, the animals!

More adorable pictures here, in my Massachusetts Sheep and Wool flickr set, or here in Cirilia's.

It was a very Webs-filled day - we saw Steve and Kathy leaving just as we were pulling in; Sara was there to teach workshops; and we saw Dena standing a safe distance away from the angora bunnies. We also ran into Melissa and Megan, and had a blogging standoff:

Here's my haul for the day:

Clockwise from the top: Romney and Wool/Mohair blends from Fantom Farms; Merino/silk from Spunky Eclectic; Camel/Tussah silk from Foxfire; a skein of Bunny Blend from Acker's Acres Angoras. Whoo! Not too bad, right?

Oh. Right.

Yep, that's a fleece. A 10.5 pound, unskirted Romney fleece from one of Consolati Farm's favorite sheep, Edsal.

I'm in trouble, aren't I? Any advice will be ridiculously welcomed. I might tackle the skirting today.

Oh, and here's the project that kept me up until 4am on Thursday:

Kureyon. Log. Cabin. Blanket. Whoo! My plan is to do 20 squares (all different colorways), but I might add more if it's not big enough. I don't think I'll be knitting much else for a while :)

Dudes.

2007-05-24T21:45:00.000-04:00

I'm back! I've missed you all soooo much. Eep! I won't draw this out - here's what I've been up to in my absence:

-I got a job at WEBS, only the best yarn store ever! I've been working there since March. Now that it's summer, you can find me there Tuesday through Friday, and 2 Saturdays a month.

-I joined Ravelry, just this morning actually :) I'm a bit obsessed. If you're on there too, add me as a friend - don't make me track all you down.

-I got my driver's license :) in February. Having always lived in cities, I never needed one before. I'm enjoying my freedom very much.

-I went on a fairly restrictive diet for 2 months and lost 20 pounds. I also became a vegetarian in the process! I have another 15 pounds that I want to lose, but I'm currently taking a break and partaking freely in cookies and beer.

-I finished another semester of school - only two more to go. UMass has been a welcome change, and I had one really excellent class that made it all worthwhile (on the Mongols - an interesting and entertaining bunch).

-I've been reading all your blogs! Seriously, I have. And I want to give you all a collective hug, pat on the back, high five, cup of tea - whatever applies to your particular situation. Thanks to those who checked in on me, and apologies to anyone who commented with a question if I didn't get back to you.

Most of the knitting I've been doing lately has been for Webs - many of the sample garments in the store are knit by staff. There are more pictures of all of them in my Flickr or on Ravelry. Here's what I've done so far:

This is Sunshine from Rowan's Kasbah Collection, in Summer Tweed. Cute little pattern, and a fun bit of crochet too.

This is the Lace Accent Tank from Artful Yarns pattern book #92226. It's knit in Artful Yarns Olympic. The pattern was designed by Interweave fave Veronik Avery. There are a bunch of cute little details in this pattern, check out the back:

Basically, you knit four pieces: the lace band, the back, and the front top and bottom. Then you seam it all together (I'm surprised the pattern doesn't just have you pick up stitches from the lace band, but whatever). Anyway, it was a nice little challenge, and the yarn knit up much nicer than expected - I don't suspect many or any of you have worked with it, and I don't necessarily recommend that you do ;)

This is Krista, from White Lies Designs, knit up in Cascade Pima Tencel. Also fun, and super quick to knit - lace on size 7 needles. If you want to knit it, I suggest making it a little longer than suggested.

Something else to show you:

You can see this in my second ever post on this blog! It's the Tina shawl from Fiddlesticks knitting. Even though I finished knitting it in February of 2006, I didn't block it until this March! I decided to bring it to my Webs interview. Heh. Anyway, it's knit in Jaggerspun Zephyr in Daffodil.

Pretty.
I have more to show (you can probably sneak a peek at Ravelry or Flickr), but I'll wrap this up for now. Will I see any of you at Massachusetts Sheep and Wool this weekend? I'll be at Webs on Saturday, and Cummington Sunday. Whoo, weekend!

Settling in

2007-01-04T13:56:00.000-05:00

Thank you all so much for your support and kind wishes for us during our move. We're here, in our new apartment - and it feels great so far. There's still a whole lot of stuff to put away and many walls to decorate, but we're getting there. Yesterday's Ikea trip yielded a coffee table, shower rod and curtain, a lamp - little things to make the place livable.

I took some pictures around the house today, mostly for my mom, but I thought I'd put them up on the blog (something to do until I come up with some knitting again, right?) So click below for a little tour on flickr. Warning: copious amounts of wood paneling lie ahead!

Please, come in and take a look!

Top 10 Films of 2006, and then some

2006-12-23T09:37:00.000-05:00

Well, we moved. Into my boyfriend's parents' house. (For those of you just tuning in - I'm transferring to UMass Amherst for the spring semester.) We had a hell of a time trying to find an apartment out here while we were still in Boston, so it seemed best to just get ourselves out here and go from there.

It's a little tough. All of my stuff is living in the garage:

The boys are less than thrilled about being uprooted:

This was taken early in the week when it took a lot of coaxing to get them out of hiding - now they're back to their old selves.

But! It's temporary. And we've already found an adorable apartment right here in Easthampton. Its best feature is a huuuuuuge wraparound back porch - perfect for dyeing and summer knitting parties. We should be moving in next week (or January 1st). I can't wait to take all my books out of boxes.

I think I'm ready to post my top 10 films of the year - a few late entries complicated things. Sorry for the lack of explanations, I can't seem to, you know, write in complete sentences today. A full post on my #1 pick is forthcoming (after a second viewing - it's that good). Enjoy, and feel free to post some of your favorites in the comments!

1. Children of Men

2. The Proposition

3. Pan's Labyrinth

4. Inland Empire

5. Volver

6. Battle in Heaven

7. Lady Vengeance

8. Borat

9. The Descent/The Hills Have Eyes/Slither

10. The Departed

The next five: The Science of Sleep, The Queen, Little Children, Manderlay, Inside Man.

A few I wish I'd seen that might have made it on to the list: L'enfant, The Death of Mr. Lazarescu, Old Joy, Half Nelson, Mutual Appreciation (despite my dislike for Funny Ha Ha), Shortbus, 4, Edmond, The Fountain.

A few of the worst: V for Vendetta, The Illusionist, Brick, Hard Candy, Factotum, Death of a President.

We're sort of skipping the holidays this year - too much going on - but I hope all of you are enjoying the season and spending time with the ones you love.

Shameless! She disappears for a month and now she wants us to buy her stuff?!

2006-12-08T12:48:00.000-05:00

Guys. I haven't knit a stitch in weeks. We're moving next Saturday (the 16th) and my head is just spinning, constantly spinning. There's so much to do and plan for, between the move itself and starting school again in January. Oh, and did I mention I bought a car? I don't even have a license! What am I doing buying a car? Serious proof that I've lost it.

Anyway. This move seems like a perfect opportunity to have another stash sale. Here's what I have to offer:

For details on everything please visit this photoset on Flickr. Whatever's left will end up at the Destash blog.

I miss this blog and all of you dearly, I really do. I've been trying to keep up with your posts but, well, let's just say I have about 800 unread items in Bloglines. I'll be back once we're settled somewhere. I'm going to have over a month of free time before school starts at the end of January - I hope to see you all then!

WTF?!?!?

2006-11-21T12:51:00.000-05:00

People. Robert Altman died last night. One Jenna mourns.

(posting should resume after the holiday - too much car-buying, apartment-hunting and fatigue to think straight.)

Lady Eleanor... in action!

2006-11-11T14:10:00.000-05:00

Pattern: Lady Eleanor from Scarf Style (duh!)
Yarn: Noro Silk Garden, color #234 - 10 balls used
Needles: Denise circulars, size 8
Started: Not sure! Probably about a year ago (gasp!) since I ordered the yarn on 10/26/05.
Finished: November 3rd
Measurements: 61" x 20"
Modifications: Yarn substitution, cast on 9 triangles (instead of 7), only 4 rows of knotting for the fringe.

Ah, complete! I can't believe it took me a year to finish this. I worked on her in three big spurts. Luckily, it's a very easy project to pick up at random - once you get a decent grasp of the pattern and how it works, there's no row numbers to worry about. I never got tired of knitting her, and I found the entrelac very satisfying. It goes fast, and with the Noro it's fun to see the colors change.

Here's how I'll probably look all winter:

She's the perfect size, I think. Wide enough to cover my ears and nose, but it's not too too bulky wrapped around my neck. Happy with the length, too :) I don't have any yarn left over, and had juuuust enough for the fringe. My fringe is a little imperfect. There was no way I was going to get it all lined up evenly, so I just did it quickly and, well, it's fringe! Whatever. I love it.

It may look like I'm posing here, but....

I'm frantically picking leaves out of the fringe. Leaves!

Yeah. Don't put your handknits on the grass.

Back to the details. I wasn't always happy with the way the colors were lining up - too much saturation in one area, too much boring taupe in another. My least favorite color in the bunch is the blue, it's the least muted and pushed the whole thing towards the garish side. So sometimes I would cut out a whole blue section and save it for later (or for the fringe). Also, just like Jessica did (ps - welcome Fig and Plum readers!), I left off the crochet edging and didn't block her.

I'm glad that this pattern has gotten popular. It's great. Everyone should knit it, or at least a smaller entrelac scarflette. No two Eleanors look alike!

Yeah, I'm way too much of a goofball for such an elegant knit!

Lady Eleanor: The Preview

2006-11-10T14:36:00.000-05:00

Just a little preview photo of Lady Eleanor, since the last one went over pretty well. As you can see, she's destined for a life tucked away safely in the closet, not spread out on the couch - that fringe could drive a cat crazy.

Last night was a spinning night! I finished plying that corriedale:

340 yards, can you believe it? I'll get some better shots when it's skeined up, the colors are wonderfully subtle. I have no idea what weight it is, though, maybe light worsted? Things like this remind me that I'm quite a novice. I also started spinning the roving I posted yesterday:

I'm trying to spin it as fine as I can. It takes forever, but that's a good thing! I don't have the money to buy tons of fiber all the time (ohhh I wish) so this is a way to make what I have last, I guess. Maybe that's a backwards way of thinking about it, but it works for me right now.

Oh, and here's the questionable lace that I mentioned last time:

Apologies for the awful picture, I had to take it with no hands.
The pattern is Eunny's Print o' the Wave stole, and the yarn is handpainted Zephyr from Furryarns in Monarch. I can't remember why I bought this yarn - and I certainly don't remember the colors being so garish (I think the photo on the website has been changed in the year or so since I ordered the yarn). Anyway. Is it hideous? Is it worth continuing? I'm really thinking no. It's not something I would wear, first of all, and I think I'd feel bad giving it away because I dislike it so much. Aaaaand I think I just answered my own question.

I'll soothe my craving for a lacy project in a different way - by casting on for Pomatomus! Finally, inspiration came to me, in the form of Interlacements Tiny Toes. This yarn was begging me to knit it up - it's sooo cushy and bouncy. And I just know that Pomatomus will show it off perfectly.

The post I made earlier, then deleted because the blog freaked out.

2006-11-09T14:02:00.000-05:00

I've been suuuuuch a slacker. My thoughts these days are more on our impending move than anything else, I guess. I have over 400 of your blog posts to read, and I will read them all - but forgive me if I don't comment :)

I'm in a bit of a slump, which I guess is natural after finishing so many projects? Lady Eleanor is done, too, by the way - I finished her at the office last Friday, fringe and all, and even wore her home. I'm in love already, silently cursing the unseasonably warm weather we've had here this week. Pictures this weekend, I hope, if I can get someone to cooperate one more time.

My yarn for the Phildar Swing Jacket is on its way. I was about to buy 6 skeins of Beaverslide (in Frosted Smoke, I think).... but I balked at the price at the last minute. I'm supposed to be saving up money for the move, and while I love the pattern I'm not sure how much I'll wear it when all is said and done - I just want to knit it. So I went for Elann's Highland wool instead. I've never used it before - I heard it's a little pill-y but I can live with that.

I started knitting some lace, too, but I think it's ugly. Really ugly. I'll post a picture of it soon, and you guys better tell me the truth. The problem is with the yarn... what was I thinking, ordering variegated laceweight? In colors I'd never wear? If I keep going I might pass it off as a gift, but ugh. I just really wanted to knit lace, I guess. Stay tuned.

Why am I feeling so uninspired? There used to be hundreds of things I couldn't wait to knit, but nothing is grabbing me these days. I'm sick of pawing through my stash, hoping for inspiration. I think a bit of a purge is in order, before the move. Stash sale #2, anyone?

Sorry for all the booooooring! I'm even putting myself to sleep. I will try to pep things up a bit this weekend, maybe some dyeing? Look, here's some pictures!

BFL that I over-dyed - it was too pastel the first time around, now it looks like watercolors!

Corriedale from the Sheep Shed - all spun up now, and in the process of being plied. Lovely stuff.

Ahem.

2006-11-09T12:40:00.000-05:00

The blog seems to be a little fucked at the moment (pardon my language) - I have a post all ready to go, but my Haloscan comment links have disappeared. Again. Awesome! When I get home tonight I'm going to start from scratch and redo my template, then reinstall Haloscan and hope for the best. Stay tuned, friends!

EDIT: Argh, they're back! I am so fucking confused. Let me know if you see them :( and if you don't, my email is on the left sidebar.

Whoo!

2006-11-01T08:49:00.000-05:00

Thank you all so so so much for your comments on Brocade! You're all so kind, and you made this girl feel pretty damn good. I DO love Brocade, in spite of and even because of its flaws. I wrote about them in such detail because so few people have knit it, and I wanted to get as much information out there as possible for anyone considering the pattern in the future.

On to the contest. The question, for those of you who missed it, was which two ancient projects I finished last week. Four of you got it right! Kudos to you, Carrie, Eric, Emily and Trek.

I finished the New England socks (last blogged about here) and the Northern Lights mittens (last blogged about here). If you guessed Lady Eleanor, you were close - she and I have been inseperable all week. We might be looking at fringe this weekend! Interesting that no one picked Butterfly - I don't think that one will ever get finished, either.

I assigned each of the correct answerers a number (1-4) and let the random number generator pick the winner. And that winner is:
Trek of Trek Casts On!!!Congratulations, Trek! I know you're a sock lover, so hopefully the prize will be up your alley - a big hunk of the Mystical Creation Yarns hand-dyed merino that the New England socks were knit with. I have probably 2000 yards of it left, so I'll make sure you get enough for a pair of socks :) More details on that yarn below.

Some FO details:

Pattern: Northern Lights mittens, available here at Knitpicks
Yarn: Knitpicks Palette in... uh, a bunch of colors.
Needles: Inox dpns, size 1
Modifications: None, except for a pattern error - the pattern lists the second background color (the brown one) as "Fawn," but in the picture it looks a lot more like "Bark" or at least "Wood". Fawn is a little too light and the oranges don't really stand out in those sections, but I'd already returned my yarn once for ordering the wrong colors (they should really list that stuff on the website, geez). Meh.

If they look a little funky, it's because they haven't been soaked or blocked. They need to be - the tips especially are mishapen and my colorwork could be evened out a bit in a couple of places. But! Overall I think my fair isle here is very nice looking. Better in person. The mittens are pretty snug; if I were to knit them again I'd go up a needle size.

(Not too many pictures of the socks, since they're for a friend and hopefully she'll oblige me with a modeled shot once she gets them.)

Pattern: New England socks from Knitting on the Road (by the great Nancy Bush)
Yarn: Merino fingering weight in Amethyst from Mystical Creation Yarns, held double throughout
Needles: Inox dpns, size 1
Modifications: Yarn substitution, of course, and an inch more of stockinette before the toe decreases.

This pattern is just great. It's not too difficult but there's plenty to keep you interested - I especially enjoyed knitting the lacy ribbing. I'm happy with how it turned out in this yarn, too, for the most part. It's very very fine, almost lace weight even, but held double it's perfect for socks. As I think I've said before, I love the effect of doubling a variegated yarn - you get really cool flecks and it's a lot more interesting-looking than little stripes of color. A bit of stripey-pooling did occur in some parts, but that looks cool, too.

I think the heel on this sock is sooo cool. It's just like a regular slipped stitch flap heel, but the slipped stitches continue underneath after you turn it! It's a very narrow heel, maybe not the most comfortable ever, but fun to knit.

The cast-on is quite unique as well, and so pretty! I believe it's a sort of modified double-start cast on (correct me if I'm wrong, I don't have the book in front of me). Since I was doubling the yarn already, I had to quadruple it for the cast on. It turned out very stretchy, and did I mention pretty?

I hope Hilarie will like them. I need to pick up some sock blockers and block them - this is the first time that I've felt like I really need sock blockers. Do you want to know why? One sock is bigger than the other. Yeah. I have NEVER had this happen to me. And it's not because I finished them months apart - when I got past the heel on the second sock in July, I noticed that it was longer than the first sock I'd knit. I thought I'd done too many rows on the leg or something, got frustrated with myself and abandoned the project (see a trend here?) But when I looked at it again last week, I saw that I'd knit everything perfectly! It was just bigger for some reason. Well. I'll just block the hell out of that first, smaller sock, and everything will be okay. Right? Ugh.

A tidbit from my personal life: today is my 3rd anniversary with Brian! We had our first date three years ago today :) And what a date it was, sneaking beer into my freshman dorm - oh, youth! I love you, Brian! We're awesome. Thank you for the photo taking, the countless trips to Webs, and your overall embrace of my fiber habit (and more than that, of course).

I have a ton of movies to review - I'll try to get that up tomorrow. Expect a finished Lady Eleanor soon, too!

Four months in the making.

2006-10-29T14:25:00.000-05:00

Pattern: Brocade by Kaffe Fassett, from Rowan magazine 38
Yarn: Rowan Yorkshire Tweed DK in Skip and Rowdy (6 balls each)
Needles: Clover bamboo circs (size 7) and Inox circs (size 6) for the ribbing
Ends woven in: definitely nearing 1000
Started: June 7th-ish
Completed: October 21st

Before I get into my a critique of my work, some positives: I am really quite proud of myself for getting through this project that I was probably a little crazy to take on. It's a gorgeous pattern, and I feel like I did it well, judiciously cutting new lengths of yarn for each section and spit-splicing my little heart out (which got me a few strange looks at the office). It was a joy to knit, not a headache.

outside/inside... I'll never complain about ends again!

And the yarn? I could sing its praises all day. If I hadn't blown all that money at Rhinebeck, I'd buy a bag or two just to have around. In fact, I still might.

I got a little "creative" in some of these shots... ahem.
There was a fair amount of talk about Brocade when the magazine came out - how they must have pinned it for the photo shoot because there was no waist shaping, talk of knitting it in the round and converting it to raglan sleeves. Fair points all around. It would be pretty easy to add waist shaping by shaving a few blocks off the sides of the chart. And while it might be possible to knit it as fair isle, I would never want to. The sweater would be doubly thick (DK yarn, remember?) and you'd have to use twice as much of it (Rowan, remember?) and, most importantly, doing intarsia on this scale is just. plain. thrilling.

Not exactly Rowan material.
Am I thrilled with the fit? No, I am not. But that has less to do with the design of the sweater (rather boxy, drop sleeves) and more to do with the fact that the thing is too damn big. And when I found that out, it was too late for me to do anything about it. The back was 40 inches across... and I had already woven all the ends in. What could I do? It's halfway decent in the bust, but it hangs off me otherwise. And in the interest of full disclosure: in some of these shots, some excess fabric is held back with a big clip. Yup! I'm a deceiver.

Ugly face in this one.
Maybe one day I will get ambitious with a sewing machine and take it in a little bit on the sides. My seaming was rushed (yes, I am guilty of in-car finishing) and the turtleneck could stand to be a little bit longer - that's something I can fix right away.

Another thing (and if you noticed this in person but didn't point it out, you're a saint):

Fucking. Dyelots. I didn't notice until I was seaming... somehow the first ball of Skip I used was a different dyelot, less green than the rest. My last ball was a different dyelot as well, but I knew that going in. Seeing it for the first time, though, seeing EXACTLY where it happened on the FIRST piece that I knit, sort of made me want to tear my heart out? A sweater I put months of work into, countless hours bent over it with my crochet hook (I'd get a certain look on my face, Brian calls it "the knitting face" but really it was reserved only for Brocade), and I thought it looked like a joke. I almost didn't finish it, I'm serious.

I'm glad I did, though. Towards the end I really started to doubt myself, questioned whether I should wear it to Rhinebeck, etc etc etc. But none of that matters, really. Because all of your reactions and comments smacked the stupid right out of me. Seriously, I love you guys. My Brocade is not perfect, but overall it's still a knockout.

I'm not sure what's next for me, besides perpetual socks and Christmas knitting (hats all around!) I might pick up the USMP again, if I can make myself stop worrying about the fit and just go with it. It'll fit me at some point in my life, right? There's a certain knitalong on the horizon. Also, I'm on the lookout for a new lace project, so throw your fave patterns my way.

(P.S.: I'll post the contest results on Wednesday, there's still plenty of time to "enter"! Interesting results so far... my WIP sidebar could be a bit of a giveaway, but I haven't updated it in a looong time.)

My first contest!

2006-10-28T12:21:00.000-04:00

So, um:

Turns out the Brocade post might not happen today. Unless you want to see it soaking wet. Hope for a bit of sun tomorrow?

Instead, today will be a spinning day (and a dyeing day, too - I'm overdyeing that BFL I fouled up a while ago).

Now! On to my little contest. Since I feel bad about still not getting the Brocade post up. I just finished a couple of projects that have been on the needles waaaaay too long (i.e. before I started Brocade). Any guesses? If you can name the two projects I finished this week, I'll send you a chunk of the yarn that one of the projects was knit with. Don't worry, it's not total crap :) If more than one of you gets it, I'll draw a name from a hat.

Good luck! And stay dry.

News!

2006-10-26T10:01:00.000-04:00

I know a full post on Brocade was supposed to come next, but it's going to have to wait until the weekend - by the time I get home from work there's no natural light to take pictures :( The post itself is written so it'll be up after I take the pictures on Saturday.

And anyway, I have news... As a few of you know, last spring I took a leave of absence from BU. I was very unhappy with my major and the school, to the point that it was affecting everything else in my life. I needed some time to figure out how to proceed with my studies (I was only about 10 classes aways from a degree at BU and could have finished in another year, but would have been severely depressed doing so). Late in the summer I decided that I wanted to transfer to UMass Amherst for the spring semester and change majors. It feels like a really awesome plan for us - Brian and I both love the area (he grew up there) and I'm so excited to get this old brain working again.

I found out this morning that I was accepted! Not too much of a surprise, really, but a HUGE relief. Huge. We can finally start seriously planning for the move. We can finally have a place to live with DOORS! I can leave this job and go back to being a student, and really make the most of it this time.

Knitting content returns Saturday :)

The Rhinebeck post

2006-10-23T20:00:00.000-04:00

Rhinebeck was a total blast, more than worth the trip. The weather was perfect, the animals were adorable (if I could have walked off with an armful of rabbits, I would have), and the people were A+++. I got to meet a bunch of awesome blog-friends in person (and still managed to miss a few, d'oh!) and many I'd met before. I didn't bring my camera (double d'oh) buuuut you can always check out Flickr photos tagged with "Rhinebeck."

If you saw me at there, you know that I finished Brocade and actually wore it! I'll make a more exhaustive post about Brocade tomorrow(ish), but here's a preview:

Please excuse the overflowing trash can in the background. And a picture of it in action, yanked from Ariel's blog:

Fun fact: Ariel and I made Conwy socks in the same exact yarn!

Now, for my fiber haul:

No yarn whatsoever, as you can see! Had stock up on fiber. Going clockwise from the top left, we have: a Blue Moon Fiber Arts Sheep 2 Shoe kit, 1/2 lb of merino from Pleasant Home Woolen Co., a blended batt from Grafton Fibers, merino and corriedale from The Sheep Shed, an alpaca/merino blend from Little Barn (I also picked up some undyed superwash merino from them), and a big blob of green something-or-other from Wool 'N Quilts. My mom picked up a sweater's-worth of Brooks Farm Harmony in some pretty greens/blues.

It was soooo great seeing all of you - Jessica, Veronique, Lisa and the other Spiders, Laura, Adrian, Ariel, Monica, anyone who had me on their Blogger Bingo card, etc etc - if we met and I've forgotten to mention you, do say hi!

Tired of pictureless posts yet?

2006-10-16T20:53:00.000-04:00

Brocade update the second: Sleeve #1 is blocking, and I'm 30ish rows into sleeve #2. The end is in sight!!! Let's just hope the sucker fits.

Also:

I'm a square!!!
That's right, I'm a Rhinebeck Blogger Bingo square (got in at the last minute!) for Saturday. Considering how the knitting is going, I should be ridiculously easy to spot.

I'm going to save the finished Brocade photos for after Rhinebeck, so sit tight everyone.

We're watching Todd Field's In the Bedroom tonight on IFC - I'm interested to see it, with all the buzz (+ and -) that Little Children is getting.

D.O.A.P., et al.

2006-10-15T10:29:00.000-04:00

Brocade update: front is blocked, about 40 rows to go on sleeve #1 (then weaving, blocking).

I thought I'd throw up some quick reviews before I start knitting this morning. We've been watching season 1 of The Wire this weekend... We're 6 or 7 episodes in and I'm still waiting for it to get good, I guess. It's passably entertaining and undeniably realistic, but it doesn't rank among my other favorite HBO dramas.

Last night Brian and I got to see the highly controversial new faux-documentary Death of a President (or D.O.A.P.) Recently a few theater chains here in the US have said they won't show the film (it'll be interesting to see how that pans out, though I doubt there's a mainstream audience for it anyway). Anyway. I think our main reason for wanting to see it was James Urbaniak, a household favorite who plays an FBI forensic expert. He was excellent, but the film? Pretty pointless. It's all premise and no insight. (Premise Beach, anyone?) Sure, it's what could have happened - the aftermath is especially plausible - but playing it out on film is pretty futile. It won the FIPRESCI Prize at Toronto for "the audacity with which it distorts reality to reveal a larger truth," but I don't think that the "larger truth" they're talking about is all that hidden.

On Friday we finally went to see The Departed (in a packed theater) and it was... fucking great. Just go see it. See it twice, even. I loved it, in spite of questionable accents (and haircuts, I'm looking at you Mark).

We caught Factotum sometime last week... Brian loves Bukowski and I do too, if to a lesser degree. I adored Born Into This, it's an incredible documentary (and worthwhile even if you're not a fan). I shouldn't hold Factotum up to that standard, but. Between this and Barfly (which Hank wrote himself) it's become abundantly clear that Bukowski's words don't really translate to film. They lose all their life and power. Factotum was a snoozefest, and worth very little next to reading the book or seeing the man himself in action.

Time to pay attention to The Wire...

The loftiest of goals.

2006-10-13T11:17:00.000-04:00

Here it is, folks: I'm going to finish Brocade for Rhinebeck. And wear it. I want to do this for a couple of reasons, the main one being that I've been working on this sweater since June and there are so many other projects I want to start. The other reason? You'll be able to spot me more easily at Rhinebeck! Perfect place to show it off.

It's a daunting task, as I've only just started on the first sleeve and the front still isn't blocked. However! I've been bringing the project to work with me. My job is basically just answering phones, so I can weave in ends all day if I'm not busy. I think I'll finish that today, allowing me to block the front over the weekend (and maybe even start seaming?) Then I'll have the weekend and next week to power through the sleeves.

I think it's doable! I just have to stay committed. The spinning will be put on hold for a little while (which is fine, since I'm disappointed with the roving I dyed on Tuesday and need to re-dye it), and the book I'm reading (Oblivion by David Foster Wallace, no great shakes IMO) has already been relegated to my commute.

A quick word about weaving in ends - I know that for most projects it's just a hassle, but it's really essenital for intricate intarsia like this. As with any intarsia there are little holes that get closed up when you weave the ends in, but there are also wonkier sections that you can stabilize and realign, even before blocking. This happens a lot when you have small, single lines of contrasting color running diagonally through larger blocks. It's pretty amazing sometimes - I'll try to do some before and after pictures when I'm on to the sleeves.

Time to put my nose back to the grindstone... Happy 13th everyone! I used to be able to do a vampire smiley face, but I can't remember how :(

I wore this all day, and it was over 70 degrees!

2006-10-09T19:59:00.000-04:00

Remember what I said about wanting to be able to use what I spin?

I'm sticking to my word! Or at least I'm starting out that way. This morning I was itching to knit yesterday's yarn (I had about 130 yards, by the way... about worsted weight I think?) The hat is the earflap version of Kim's Hat from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. I used the plied yarn for the hat and the singles (spun earlier on the spindle) for the flaps. LOVE it. And I never ever wear hats (this is only the second one I've ever knit). Even Brian had it on for a little while. It was so quick to knit, I can see a bunch of these being churned out for the holidays.

Last night I spun up some ultra-colorful roving that I'd dyed a few weeks ago - mostly greens with some blue, yellow, and orangey brown. Not too great looking as singles, but I really like the result plied. I think the weight and twist is a lot more uniform on this skein, too. Here it is on the skeinwinder:

And skeined up (about 88 yards):

I might try to dye some more roving tonight - I'm running out of stuff to spin! I tried out a little merino this afternoon... it was going okay, but I started spinning it too fine and the pull of the bobbin kept snapping it :( I also have some Finn and South African top to try out. Needless to say, I'm looking forward to Rhinebeck (yes, I'll be there!) and the fiber stash enhancement that awaits!

Best week ever?

2006-10-08T14:06:00.000-04:00

On Thursday night we drove over to Adrian's to pick up the wheel:

I don't think I can fully express how totally thrilled I am with this wheel. Aside from how gorgeous it is (the special edition "honey" finish, which I'd never seen before, is perfect) it's already such a joy to spin on. No headaches, no cursing; I can sit down and relax and treadle almost effortlessly. I understand how it works, the bobbin-lead system makes sense to me.

As soon as I put it together (with no problems) I started to spin the rest of the Mangoes BFL roving. I was able to spin it very fine right away, varying between laceweight and sportweight in the slubbier parts. I finished it up today:

Then split it onto two bobbins to ply. I plied it a little too loosely in the beginning but I'm quite satisfied with what I have:

Of course, I have no idea how many yards I have or what weight it is, really. It's drying now, after a nice soak, so I'll swatch with it a little later.

All spinning fun aside, it's been a busy week. Work was a little crazy and it felt like I had a million other things to do. My good friend Alex, who I hadn't seen since freshman year (he goes to Tufts, which sometimes feels like a world away), came over for dinner on Wednesday and it was beyond lovely to see him again. We were very close in high school and it's sooooo great to see him doing so well! Yay Alex!

Then on Friday both of my sisters came into Boston, from NY and NH, to celebrate our birthdays (all of which fall in September and October). We had dinner here on Friday (complete with 3 bottles of wine) and yesterday we went to the MFA for a couple of hours. After that I gave Amy a knitting lesson. Only one problem - she's a lefty! I was teaching her to knit English, like I do, and it looked like she was really struggling, so we switched to Continental. I think that's working out better for her, and now she's on her way to a garter stitch scarf in some blue Valley Yarns Monterey that was sitting in my stash for way too long.

Last night was the topper, though: dinner at Sorellina. What a place! I'd been dying to go there ever since it was reviewed on the Phantom Gourmet, but it would only happen if I found a few hundred bucks on the street. Well, let's just say that my sister is an incredibly generous person, and the three of us had what I think was an unforgettable meal. Sorellina is elegant and lively, the room is striking and modern and the service was very agreeable. But the menu is the star; I started with the tuna tartare (incredible, perfection), Amy had the arancini, and Melissa had the romaine salad (the dressing was too fishy, she said). Then I had the veal, Amy the pork, and Melissa the chicken - we were all quite pleased with our choices, I think. Amy picked some phenomenal red wines (a barolo and a petite syrah) and dessert, well, it was decadent. If you're ever planning an extra-special evening, Sorellina is the place to go.

I'm very glad I have another day to recover from this week! We might try to see The Departed tomorrow. I can't decide whether I want to spin more today or attack the ends on Brocade... or take a nap!

Oh, and a little postscript - you can now visit my blog at www.cinemaknits.com!!!! No need to update your links or bookmarks, it's just site-forwarding for now.

Nearly knee socks.

2006-10-02T18:46:00.000-04:00

All done! Nearly knee socks in Sock Hop handspun, Mustang Sally colorway. They look a little uneven in these photos, but they're not - only a couple rows difference between them. I wore 'em out on Saturday, and sadly, they're slouchy. Still, they were such a joy to knit and they feel great on.

Another picture because it's adorable:

Ah, behind the scenes at Cinemaknits. Thanks to Brian for patiently taking these pictures (and waiting for my ancient flash unit to recharge).

Also, I am very pleased to announce that the front of Brocade is DONE!!! However...

There's still work to be done. It feels like there are more ends this time around. It might take me a couple nights to get them all woven in, and I have to get them woven in before I start a sleeve (otherwise it'll never happen). I've made a pledge to myself: I'm not allowed to start another major project until I finish Brocade. I started it in June, I think, and I really want to be able to wear it this winter.

Only one thing stands in my way: work! My productivity, in terms of both knitting and blogging, is going way down because of a semi-long term temp job. I'm still adjusting a bit, but things should get back on track soon.

Quickie movie review: last week we watched Rize, David LaChapelle's entrancing documentary about krumping. I wouldn't call Rize paticularly profound, but it's an interesting and important social phenomenon worthy of being documented, and not only for the mind-blowing dancing. And, make no mistake, it is mind-blowing.

Rize isn't only about the dancing; it's also about the people and how they've found a way to stay out of gangs and off the streets through dancing. I hope LaChapelle will make another doc - his larger-than-life, wide angle lens style would be well suited to many more subjects.

We also saw The Science of Sleep on Saturday - more on that later, if I get my thoughts together, but if you like Gondry's work (and not just Eternal Sunshine) and if you don't go into it expecting a beautiful romance, you won't be disappointed.

Oh oh oh and and! I ordered my wheel! I chose the Louet S75 special edition. SO EXCITED.

Thank you!

2006-09-27T13:40:00.000-04:00

Thanks for all your compliments on the redesign! Since a few of you asked how I made my site look less Blogger-y, I'll just answer here. My blog template is from thur's templates - you can see the options on the left sidebar there. There are some other template sites out there, a quick google search should turn them up. You can customize your template in terms of color, column width, etc, and add your own pretty background and banner. Have fun with it! Oh, and if you're having trouble picking out a color scheme, this site is a huuuuge help.

I've had a great few days - Sunday I went to Adrian's and tried out three of her wheels - the Louet S17 and S75 and the Kromski Polonaise. I'm really leaning to the S75 now, but I'm going to think it over for a little while longer. Then we went to the Boston Knit Out, which was fun, if only for the awesome people I got to meet and hang out with (Monica, Carole, Heather, Kate, and a few blogless folks). We all had a great time, I think - went out to lunch nearby and then hit up Windsor Button (where surprisingly few purchases were made!).

Then Monday was my birthday! I had a ton of fun and ordered some very silly drinks, and now I'm reveling in the fact that I can buy a bottle of wine whenever the hell I want. Brian did a fabulous job with gifts, including the Trois Couleurs box set (!) and the entirely overwhelming Silver Spoon cookbook. Thank you, honey!

Last night we watched The Princess and the Warrior, directed by Lola rennt's Tom Tykwer and starring the glorious Franka Potente. I was all set to love this one, buuuut....

I guess it seemed a little pointless in the end? There were some great moments and I liked the style and pace, but I didn't buy the whole "it was fate, they were meant to be together" concept. Am I missing the point? He saved her life, and then she effectively saved his by allowing him to move on after his wife's death. Everything else, especially the mental hospital and Steini, felt unnecessary. Anyway. I liked it well enough. Brian thought the score (lots of tinkling piano) was annoying. I thought Franka Potente acted her part beautifully, with the perfect amount of quiet determination. I'm giving it three stars.

Expect finished sock pictures tomorrow - they're going to be awesome.

Slight redesign

2006-09-23T17:07:00.000-04:00

I did a little futzing with the blog's design - it should be easier to read now, and prettier! Let me know if it looks weird on your browser or if you think it's ugly/too blue.

I dyed some roving today! I don't think I felted it, but I guess I won't know until I try to draft it. I also spun up some of the "mangoes" BFL. It stayed a little overspun even after I set the twist, but that doesn't bother me too much. Here's a shot of my predrafted strips of roving - I lovingly call them "dreampuffs":

And just so you know: while I have gone to the dark side (Ms. Jacqueline!), I am and probably always will be a knitter first. Spinning is shaping up to be great on its own, but my goal is to be able to knit with what I spin.

Hope everyone's having a nice weekend!

The first ever spinning post.

2006-09-22T15:18:00.000-04:00

Guys. Drop spindles? Not so easy to use. At about 11 this morning I tore into the spindle kit and fiber I ordered from Adrian's shop (an awesome purchase, fyi, if you're looking to start spinning). I'd done my homework and watched all the videos there were to watch.

My package - top-whorl spindle, 1lb undyed BFL, 4oz beautifully dyed BFL, and a surprise - some merino to try out!
So. Instant success? Not exactly. I botched more than a few strips of roving before I realized I needed to stop, slow down, and rethink what I was doing.

One thing that would have been nice to know is that it's OKAY if the yarn twists back on itself - I was freaking out, thinking that I was drastically overspinning. First, I learned that sometimes that's what you want if you're planning to ply it, and second, you can fix the twisting on singles when you set the twist (by soaking the yarn for a while and hanging it in a skein, with weight if it's really curly). That's a really important step that I knew next to nothing about, and because of that a few early attempts were abandoned and sacrificed to the fiber gods.

But. Now my first wee bit of yarn is sitting here in front of me. It's not more than a few yards, and it's a little fuzzy, but surprisingly even! I learned quickly that predrafting is very, very important (yes, Adrian, I did read your note about that, but my first few strips ended up being too thick/wide anyway, at least thicker than I was comfortable with).

Here's my baby!

A better look at it... maybe it's not as even as I thought it was. Whatever!

I think spinning on a wheel will be more comfortable for me. It was really frustrating having to stop and give the spindle another flick to keep things going. On a wheel, with my feet treadling, I'll have both hands to focus on drafting and controlling the twist of the yarn. I can't wait to try, and I only have to wait until Sunday!

Oh, and:
Maybe I'll see some of you there? I'll probably have the second Sock Hop knee sock in tow.