Yarnmonster

Leo says Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T13:43:00.001-05:00

Leo says Happy New Year! And good morning!, originally uploaded by Jess Yarnmonster.

Hi everyone! It's been a while. New year, new blog post.

I have 2 resolutions for this year:
1. Get in shape.
2. Make more time for friends.

Getting in shape includes both eating better and exercising more--and getting more organized about both. Life has been so hectic since wee Leo arrived on the scene, but I think that doing a little more planning ahead with meals and workouts will help to ease some of that.

Making time for friends--enough said. More knit nights, more dinners out, more girly-dates with my pals. Babies have made us all more busy, but it's important to give yourself a break once in a while.

Besides all of that, I'm looking forward to reading some good books, spending lots of time with my tiniest buddy, Leo, and [finally] graduating in 2012. Happy New Year, indeed!

OMG, Summer's Here!

2011-05-22T23:59:00.002-04:00

Clearly, we're very excited.

Leo's 10 months old now--10 months!?!--and is Everywhere. He started crawling during our final exams--awesome timing--and was off like a rocket. I am racing around all day trying to keep him from falling and climbing into the fireplace, etc. Is this how people lose those last 5 pounds of baby weight?

It's been a busy semester--as it always is, but this one was particularly challenging, being my first ever as a parent, and also Vitalay's last as an undergrad:

Yep, V has graduated! I am so proud of him; he always dreamed of coming here and going to Columbia, and he not only did it, but graduated magna cum laude. My smarty-pants!

I just wish I'd graduated too! Just a couple more classes to go....

But now, it's summer! And there are so many things I can't wait to do. Take Leo to the beach for the first time, sign up for some mama-baby swimming classes, read LOTS of books, maybe actually get to SEW or KNIT!

Strangely enough, I do most of my knitting during the summer months, probably due more to my academic schedule rather than an A/C-inspired chill. I'm hoping for another good summer of projects, since the last thing I finished was this:

Pattern: Seed Stitch Baby Jacket by Elinor Brown

Yarn: Cascade 220

Raveled!

I love this little jacket--it is squishy and warm and has kept Leo toasty all winter. But I did finish it a while ago, so it's time to get those needles dusted off and start something new! We've had kind of an epidemic of pregnancies in the Spiders in the last year (Don't want kids? You'd better not knit with us, it's contagious!), so I've got a bit of baby-knitting to do. But I'm really looking forward to knitting something for myself for the first time in almost 2 years.

Time to get on Ravelry and see what all of you are knitting out there! Something good, I'm sure.

Um, Happy New Year?

2011-02-10T19:48:00.004-05:00

A friend visited my blog recently, which reminded me, it's been quite some time since I posted. It also reminded me that I had planned to get back to posting to my poor neglected blog in the New Year. Ha.

So, things have been, um, a little busy, but I did manage to knit Leo some thick wooly pants. Because yo, it is COLD this year in NYC! Not going to say any more about that, since you probably already know, but seriously.Raveled here!

Poor Leo--his mother won't stop knitting him things. Better get used to it, kiddo.

I also did some baby knitting for--gasp--OTHER PEOPLE. Check out Illanna's baby, Desi, in his Owls Vest:

Raveled here!

Gah, he is such a cutie! These photos, obvs, are from months ago; neither of these babes is cavorting outdoors in anything less than a full-on snowsuit these days.

I also knit a very big Snug for Steph's little Deanna, and--argh--forgot to take a photo of it. But D is growing in leaps and bounds, so who knows, maybe it will fit her before this winter's done. And there is also a giant cowl which has been too busy keeping me warm to be photographed. But other than that, knitting has been slooooow.... And we won't even talk about how much my sewing machine misses me.

But! Leo is a whole 6 months old now, AND I have gone back to school part time. L hangs with Daddy on those days, making messes and doing stuff guys do, and finds his inner peace at mom & baby yoga on the days he's with me. He is the Most Fun Thing. Ever. And he smells like candy.

I Had A Baby!

2010-10-09T21:48:00.003-04:00

Leo was born on July 21, at 3:13 PM after 15 hours of labor. I was not a happy pregnant person, and I ended the pregnancy by going through my labor drug-free--ouch--and let's just say I am REALLY glad that it's all over! Leo is a sweet and delightful little baby--he is completely a mixture of his mom and dad, and we are fascinated by his every move.

Needless to say, I haven't been doing much knitting since Leo's birth, but I did quite a bit in preparation, and as always, my Spiders girls were ready to warm my little boy with lots of warm wooly goodness.

They crocheted this insanely gorgeous hexagon blanket for my wee Leo, creating the Best Baby Blanket Ever. In fact, V and I love it so much, we decided it needs to live in the living room with us. It matches my house!

With the blanket came lots of sweet knitted/crocheted goodies:

And other beautiful things have been arriving in the mail! First came some sausage-dog awesomeness from Pam:

And then a beautiful cardigan from Mai:

Leo is going to be so fancy this fall and winter! I have been jumping the gun a bit, trying to deck him out in handknits before the weather is really appropriate.

And now the knits from me! There is his hippo:

And his Rhinebeck sweater, a Tomten Jacket, in Malabrigo Sock (green) and Koigu (gray). I hope he grows a lot in the next week, because it is still really big on him!

This one fits him now! The Super-natural Stripes Cardigan, in Blue Sky Alpacas Organic Cotton:
Then I knit him Ysolda's Hap Blanket, in Cascade Eco Wool:
And to finish with, Minty's pattern for a tiny crochet birdie--miraculously completed AFTER Leo arrived!

OK, now I'm going to try to do a little knitting before it's time to feed this hungry baby again!

Babymoon!

2010-03-21T23:54:00.004-04:00

Hey there! It's been a long time! I sort of hate doing the catch-up, I've been sooo busy post, so I'm just going to skip all that and go ahead. I think the major news is kinda obvious.... We're having a baby!
So, this week was Spring Break for V and I, and we actually went to Puerto Rico for a babymoon!!! We only planned this 2 weeks ago, and I never dreamed we'd get a chance to do something like that. For all of the preggers girls out there (and there are many these days), if there is ANY way to get away for a couple of days on a warm sunny beach with your husband, do it! Between school and 2 months of morning-sickness-hell and general pregnancy-tiredness, I was really wiped out. PR was so beautiful, and we had such a relaxing, rejuvenating time, I feel like a human being for the first time since... I don't know, since Rhinebeck? Pretty much.
Some photos:
In the meantime, there have been a couple of knits.
A BSJ for Carrieoke's sweet baby boy, Charlie:
A pair of Owlings for Minty, for our annual Spiders knitting swap:
And that's about it! Back to school tomorrow--we'll see when I resurface from the library again....

Sylvi, Rhinebeck, and Autumn in NY

2009-11-02T17:32:00.005-05:00

Pattern: Sylvi by Mari Muinonen for Twist Collective
Yarn: Briggs & Little Atlantic, Fern
Raveled here!
More photos here.
My 2009 Rhinebeck sweater just barely had made it to the festival--I literally sewed in the last end as we pulled into the motel parking lot. It was a lot of finishing, but totally worth it in the end--I love my big snuggly Sylvi.
Rhinebeck was awesome. Vitalay and I drove up for the whole weekend this year, which was a nice change, and so I was able to spend a lot more time seeing friends who travel from afar to be there. Especially my very oldest friend, Mary Heather:
photo by gleek
How awesome is it to still have a friend who knew you when you were 9, playing in a muddy creek and capturing frogs and turtles? MH has only gotten cooler over the years, but she was still one pretty cool chick in the 4th grade....
My sweater got quite a bit of attention at the festival; in this dramatic reenactment Pam is diving in to cop a feel while I am trying to act natural. MH looks on, worried. ;)
photo by gleek
There was also some serious marryin' going on around here. In the last year, no less than 5 Spiders (myself included) have got themselves hitched. Here are a few, waiting for Marie's nuptials to begin:More photos here.
My sweet husband, who has always thought the knitting obsession was actually pretty cool, recently discovered the wonder that is a pair of handknit socks, and so his enthusiasm for my hobby has increased substantially. Since I really didn't need all THREE of my skeins of STR from Rhinebeck to myself, I whipped him up a pair in his favorite colorway:
Pattern: improvised (pattern notes on Ravelry)
Yarn: Socks that Rock mediumweight, colorway: Puck's Mischief
Raveled here!
I'm all about how fast this mediumweight knits up! What better way to make man-socks, no?
So though it is now chilly November, and our leaf-viewing days are pretty much over, here's a bright bit of the glory that is autumn in New York:
I hope everyone is keeping warm and toasty in your handknits!

A little bit of whimsy....

2009-09-07T21:15:00.003-04:00

Pattern: Ishbel by Ysolda Teague
Yarn: Malabrigo Lace in "Paris Night" colorway
Needles: US #3 Clover bamboo circulars
Raveled here!
I've been making good use of my Whimsical Little Knits over here (books 1 and 2) with a few last minute summer knits. My favorite thus far is Ishbel.
I love this shawl. The Malabrigo is SOOOO soft and light, it's like a little cloud settling over my shoulders. I know it will probably pill a bit, but the yarn is just so dreamy, and so perfect for this pretty pattern. The color reminds me of really dark thunderclouds--did I ever mention that I am a great lover of thunderstorms?

Next up, Ripley:
Pattern: Ripley by Ysolda Teague
Yarn: Elsebeth Lavold Angora
Raveled here!
It's not exactly hat weather yet, but a chill was definitely in the air today, so I thought I needed a new [green] hat to look forward to in the event that hat weather comes a little earlier this year. What better way to cheer oneself at summer's end than to knit up some fun winter woolens for cooler days to come?
And then there was this wee thing:You want to make one too? It will take you all of 5 minutes, with this great tutorial (yes, this is Ysolda's too--there's a theme to this post). I'm hoping this little owl imparts lots of wisdom to my brain come tomorrow, when the school year begins.
And in case you haven't seen Connie's awesome new pattern yet, stop by her blog and check it out! Seriously, her sweaters are even more gorgeous in person than they are in photos--and I'm not biased, I swear! All of her patterns are so classically beautiful.
Now it's officially time to start some fall knits. What will be next...? :)

That time of year

2009-09-01T15:22:00.003-04:00

Top: Pickled cucumbers in vodka, pickled garlic
Bottom: Tomatoes with oregano, peach butter, dilly beans

The last few days have been absolutely GORGEOUS in NYC--slightly cooler (enough to turn the A/C off), and bright blue sunny skies. Vitalay and I headed to the farmer's market on Saturday and stocked up on tasty things, and received an unexpected bounty of delicious peaches from guests Jess & Casey (thank you again!!!). Yesterday we hauled out the canning equipment, and set to work! We made five different things (listed above) so it was quite an ambitious day, but we got it all done. I love looking at all of the brightly colored jars afterward--I want to decorate my windowsills with them, but I know they must be stored in a darker spot....
And I finished V's socks!
Raveled here!
I'd say that he's been very patient, but that would be a lie. But now that he has them, the long months of waiting are forgotten, and he's pretty thrilled.I never get tired of knitting with Noro--the color changes are so beautiful. I do sometimes wish they made a softer version yarn with Kureyon's amazing colorways for close-to-the-skin garments, but mostly I don't mind the rustic feel of the wool. I could knit blankets to cover my whole house in the stuff.
There's more knitting to show, but it's a wee gift that must be given first, so that will have to wait for next time....

Hello, Summer!

2009-05-20T17:41:00.002-04:00

My first semester at Columbia is [finally] over! Now I get one luxurious week to run every errand that I didn't have time for during the last 5 months--stock up on toilet paper, go to the DMV, start in on the mountain of laundry--all before summer school starts on Tuesday. Awesome.
And with that, let's move on to the knitting.Pattern: Textured Shawl Recipe by orlane
Yarn: Indecita alpaca, brought to me from Peru by one of our family friends, Randy Green--thanks Randy!!!
Needles: US 8 Addis, 32"
Raveled here!I saw Parikha's version of this shawl on Ravelry and was, of course, immediately inspired to make one myself. I had this ginormous bag of uber-soft alpaca from my little brother's best friend's dad (who regularly brings medicine and lots of good stuff to tribal peeps in South America, check it out), so voila, here it is! I held the yarn double to get gauge, and what resulted was a perfectly sized little something to throw over my shoulders on a chilly evening.
Next up? I'm feeling ambitious:Pattern: Paper Crane by Kirsten Johnstone of assemblage
Yarn: Habu Cotton Gima
OK, so, what with school and all, I have totally fallen off of the blog reading bandwagon, but when Kirsten announced that she'd put her pattern up, I had to go check it out--and of course, once I saw it, I had to tell her how pretty it was! And then... I won her contest for a free pattern!!! I was so psyched--perhaps this means I should read blogs more often....
Anyhoo, if you haven't seen her lovely blog, you should really check it out. And hopefully I will finish this pretty cardi before summer's end.
OK, off cook some soba noodles for my hubby, watch the downloaded pilot of Caprica, and knit! Vacation, you go by oh-so-quickly.

Hexagon Love

2009-04-15T08:30:00.000-04:00

There has been an awful lot of awesome hexagon action around the internets lately, and I am by no means immune to their appeal:

Yarn:Noro Kureyon, colors 124 and 88, about 1.2 balls each
Pattern: Hexagon How-to from Attic24 (which is awesome, BTW!)
Raveled here!I really love Noro. Some people find it scratchy; I just don't care. The colors make up for anything lacking in the way of texture, in my opinion.
And hexagons are great too. They're about all I can handle, mentally, during this pre-finals part of the semester. Keeping track of where I am in a sweater doesn't work so well when I have to put it down for weeks on end.
Which is why I also started a blanket, using stash yarn!Yarn: Knitpicks Swish Bare (white) and Fleece Artist BFL Aran (green)
Pattern: Hexagon How-to from Attic24
Maya's super-cool hexagons inspired me--plus, I can do these without thinking, planning, keeping track of anything.... Perfect for a study-break, and some "Real Housewives of New York City".... ;)

Holy Cow, It's Spring!

2009-04-09T23:43:00.003-04:00

Well, let's see, it's April 9th--how long has it been since I blogged? Argh, what can I say, it's been a crazy couple of months! But I have a few new handknits to share, so I'm briefly resurfacing....
But where have I been, you ask? I have only one word for you: Columbia. No, not the country. In January, Vitalay and I transferred from Brooklyn College to Columbia University, continuing our studies of all things biological. It has been, um, enlightening. I should have been worried when they kept using the word "rigorous" to describe the workload during all of our orientations, but somehow, it just doesn't sink in until it's 3AM and you're still hunched over your computer, pecking away at a paper that was due yesterday.... Perhaps I will plan myself a more balanced schedule next semester....
Anyhoo, the knitting! Not much time for it, these days, but I did finish a couple of things over the holidays:
Pattern: Harper
Yarn: Brooks Farm Four Play
Raveled here!
This lace is addictive! And it was actually a fairly quick knit--I just took for-EVAH to take photos.
I did some sewing too!
Pattern: Summer Blouse from Heather Ross's Weekend Sewing
Fabric: Liberty of London, purchsed at Brooklyn General
I got to model this blouse for Heather's book last year, and have been wanting one ever since. I even splurged for the fancy-schmancy Liberty fabric, which was truly as heavenly as everyone said it was.Ha! I didn't knit this--Carrie did!
Pattern: Flared Lace Smoke Ring Cowl
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Merino DK
This was my lovely gift from Carrie for our second annual Spiders swap, hosted by the gracious and fabulous-ziti-cookin' Marie. It is so pretty and delicate and SOFT! And I wear it all the time. Thank you Carrie!
Oops, I did it again!
Pattern:Star-Crossed Slouchy Beret
Yarn: Road to China, 2 skeins
What can I say, I needed another one.
Raveled here!Pattern: Felicity
Yarn: Jade Sapphire Cashmere
Raveled here!
I l-o-v-e this hat. It gives lots of snuggly head-and-hair-coverage.
That's all for now! Back to the books!

Star-Crossed Slouchy Beret

2009-01-14T17:45:00.004-05:00

Well, I finally took photos of yet another 2008 hand-knit:
Pattern: Star-Crossed Slouchy Beret by Natalie Larson
Yarn: Manos del Uruguay 100% Wool
Needles: US 8 & 9
Ravelry, I love you.
I knit this back in October. I think it took 2 days. It was a smaller yarn than called for, so it was not as slouchy as the original, but whatevs. Some days, I just can't think about gauge. ;)
It was a very quick, very fun, and very rewarding knit.
That's all!

Hello, 2009!

2009-01-02T20:13:00.006-05:00

I'm a couple of days late to closing out 2008, but what can I say, it was a busy year! I did wrap it up with a couple of new FO's, though:
Pattern: February Lady Sweater
Yarn: Dream in Color Classy, 3 skeins of the Happy Forest Colorway
Needles: Addi US 7 circs
Want deets? Ravelry
So, this has got to be the most popular knit since the Clapotis craze, and I chose one of the most popular yarns to knit it in. Gotta say, though, I'm glad I did. This sweater is classic and wearable, just the perfect thing to throw on with jeans to make your outfit a little more interesting. Though I purposefully made it short to account for blocking growth, it grew WAY more in length than I was expecting, and I had to take out several inches at the bottom and reknit the edging. As always, the bit of extra labor was worth it, as I am now completely satisfied with the sweater.
Next FO:
Pattern: Luna Moth Cowl, using the lace repeat from the Luna Moth Shawl
This cowl was knit with some gorgeous yarn that Maya actually spun with her own pretty little hands, and gave me for Christmas at the Spiders party. It was so pretty, I just had to knit it up into something right away.I'm not sure if the photos really show it, but there's little flecks of red and blue and green in there. So pretty! Thank you, Maya, I love it!
Speaking of the Spiders Christmas party:It was hosted by the lovely Virginia this year, who graciously let us throw all of our various baked goods (except the rum cake, which Carrie wisely put a stop to before disaster struck) into her new deep fryer. Virg, you're awesome, and so is your deep fryer.
Vitalay and I finished our exams and left the next day for a week in Atlanta with my family. It was his first Christmas, and my first Hanukkah, and we had a really lovely, relaxing week:
We arrived back in NYC just in time for the New Year:
And an evening of Prosecco and SingStar on the new PS3.
On the list for 2009? Better time management; more blogging; more blog reading; utilizing Columbia's lovely gym; and planning our wedding and all of the knitting that goes with it.
Happy New Year, everyone!!!

December Already?!?

2008-12-12T21:06:00.002-05:00

Wow, this semester went by fast! And it's been such an eventful one, too!
Thank you all, so so much, for your sweet well-wishes. V and I were so excited for a while that we could barely concentrate in school--I mean, it just seems CRUEL to have to go to Physics class when you're daydreaming about weddings and chuppahs, and staring at your new ring. But concentrate we did, and now, it's already time for finals again. Where did the time go?!
In the moments when I wasn't studying like I should have been, I finished this:
Pattern: Tree Jacket
Yarn: Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool
More deets? Ravelry here.
This pattern was great--very simple, easy--perfect for someone who's in the middle of too much school to focus on a complex pattern. I bound off a little on the short side, since I knew the Silky Wool would grow, and it did. It knits up into a really nice, thin fabric, and I love the deep red and the nubbly texture.
Another FO, this one a LOT quicker:
Pattern: Honey Cowl by Jess at Fig & Plum
Yarn: Morehouse Merino Bulky, 1 skein
Ravelry
Seriously, the fastest knit, EVER! I saw Jess's post, decided I had to have one, raided the stash, and 2 hours later, I had a cowl. And I stopped to eat some Middle Eastern takeout. Awesome.
And now it's time to get ready for Christmas/Hanukkah! Is that Christmukkah? I don't know, but we've got the tree up, and the Shabbas candles lit on the fireplace, and I am SO ready for the holidays! Let the merriment begin!

Surprise!

2008-11-08T11:56:00.003-05:00

So, we have some pretty big news over here:
Vitalay and I got engaged! And married too!It was a big surprise. We went to City Hall and got married on Friday, so in the eyes of the State of New York, we're official.
But we also got engaged--complete with a total surprise of a down-on-one-knee proposal at beautiful Battery Park City, and we're going to have a proper ceremony with family and friends sometime in the next year. I have so many handknits to plan!!! All of my friends have been coming up with the coolest DIY ideas for their weddings, so I have a treasure trove of information at my fingertips.... ;)
Steph was our witness:
As were Vitalay's friends, Ilya and Eugene.BTW, they're single and on the lookout for some Belarussian twins who knit--any ideas, ladies?
Yay for love!!!

Habu Bamboo Pullover

2008-10-13T12:31:00.003-04:00

Pattern: mine
Yarn: Habu bamboo XS-32 20/18, Color Charcoal (4), 6 skeins
Needles: US 4 Addi Turbos
Ravelry link
I finally took some photos!
I love this yarn!!! It is one of the nicest yarns I have ever used, smooth and silky and soft. It is also heavy and drapey, so it's not really appropriate for anything that needs stitch definition, or to hold a defined shape. But it falls over the body like a sheet of water--it's delicious to wear.
So, I made this pattern up as I went, specifically for this lovely yarn, with some preliminary drawings, and a general idea in my head. I took no notes, and re-did the neck twice, so I'm sort of fuzzy on specifics. A couple of people have asked, however, for a clue to its general construction, so I'll try to describe it here.
Pattern Notes:
What I wanted was a completely simple-looking, seamless sweater--which does not always mean simple construction. I knit it bottom-up, in the round till the armholes. I then put the back on holders, and provisionally cast on enough sts on either side for elbow-length sleeves (sleeves are knit sideways). Then, knit back and forth till tops of arms/shoulders, and put them all on holders.
I returned the sts for the back to the needles, as well as the provisionally cast-on sts at the bottoms of both arms. Then knit up to tops of arms/shoulders.
Here, I grafted the arms together, starting at the cuff and working my way up over the shoulder. It was a little bit of trial and error to see how far to go, as I wanted a wide neckline. Then, I put the neck stitches on needles, did one or 2 rounds to get it a little more secure in the places I grafted over the shoulders (pick up a st or 2 in there if there's a big gap), and then I knit the rest of the neck back and forth, leaving the left side open. Bind off all sts. Voila!
I know it's a little vague, but I hope that helps anyone who wanted to try something similar. There are other ways to achieve the same effect, but this one was the most appealing to me. This is one of my favorite knits, much due to the gorgeousness of the bamboo yarn, but it took me a while to come up with something that was really right for such a heavy yarn. Yay for Habu!!! How I love them.... ;)

Versailles Shell

2008-10-12T17:24:00.003-04:00

Made by Connie!
Pattern: Versailles Shell by Connie Chang Chinchio
Yarn: Euroflax Linen
Connie made this gorgeous tank for me, to say thanks for about 10 minutes of my time modeling for her! Can you believe it? I don't know how I ended up with not one, but 2 awesome tank tops knitted by my friends. My friends rock.
It is pure beauty:

Soft, smooth linen, in my favorite color, and the shaping in the body makes this top fit like a glove. Somehow, Connie was able to make a handknit that fits me better than any I have ever made--and I wasn't even here to try it on. Very. Cool.
Detail of front lace panel:

Connie, thank you a million times!!! I love it!

Indigo Ripples Skirt

2008-10-09T20:28:00.004-04:00

Pattern: Indigo Ripples Skirt by Kat Coyle
Yarn: Rowan Denim in Nashville--I think it was 9 skeins
Needles: US 4 Lace Addi Turbos
Ravelry Link

As I stated before, this was purely a project, not a process, knit for me. I did not really enjoy knitting it. That's a lot of tiny stitches it takes to encircle one's bottom! And the Rowan Denim, while a rich, yummy shade of indigo, was a little tough and it turned my fingers quite blue. But I wanted this skirt, I really wanted it. And after running out of yarn in Israel, and ordering more from England, I finished it just in time to wear it for the last month of summer.
It is breezy and cool, and the lace lets in just the right amount of air on a warm summer day. It is everything I was hoping it would be--an easy summer skirt that is flirty without being too sexy.

And mere moments after concluding this photo shoot, the new remote for my camera arrived. Yippee, no more self-timer!!!

Blog Silence Broken

2008-10-05T17:21:00.003-04:00

OK, I'm back! Well, I've been back for 2 months now, but it seems I always have trouble getting back into the blog after a big trip. It's like, you're taking cool vacation photos every day, and then you're catching up on paying bills and buying your books for school. Not the same thrilling fodder for the blog....
But it's not been all work since I came home! I've got a few things to share--first and foremost being:So, in June I modeled Connie's gorgeous Versailles Shell for her, and in return, she MADE THIS FOR ME!!! I still can't quite believe it--it is so pretty and ethereal and lovely, and fits me like a glove, and it was SO nice of her to do this! Thank you, Connie, you are amazing! I promise to take on-the-human photos soon.
And I've got a couple of my own FOs:
One Indigo Ripples Skirt and a Bamboo Pullover--but Vitalay and I have both been taken down by a nasty flu lately, and I just haven't quite felt like taking modeling shots in between nose-blowing. Soon to come.
In the meantime, I started some socks for Vitalay:
Being from sunshiny Israel, this guy does not have a lot of woolly winter wear, and is very excited about his first pair of handknit socks. They were inspired by these, in the "OMG, I must start a pair of those RIGHT NOW" kind of inspiration.
Also working away on my Tree Jacket:
That's some Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool there--I've finished the body, and am slogging away on the first sleeve. It's garter stitch, though, so I'm kinda dragging a little.
But I really wanna finish so I can use this:
...for a February Lady Sweater! Maya's totally inspired me, and I have a whole 11 skeins of some deep red Fibre Company "Road to China" (photo above, looking NOTHING like the actual color) that is just waiting to be cast on....
And then, for something cozy in the future, this yummy wool from Israel:
Maybe a big, fluffy cardi? The cooler temperatures are making me pull out the wool knits over here, and I'm in the mood for something soft and snuggly for the chilly months ahead....

The Dead Sea

2008-08-01T06:13:00.000-04:00

One of the things that I knew I absolutely HAD to see in Israel was the Dead Sea:
It must have been in some science textbook, sometime around 3rd grade, that I first saw a photo of the Dead Sea--it probably mentioned something about supersaturation, and how the high salt content of the water causes our bodies to float, with absolutely no effort--and I thought, "Whoa, now THAT is cool!"
Before we got there, I asked Vitalay if it were possible that I might be the one and only person who would not float--I was nervous about my floating potential, I guess--and he was like, "Um, no. You will have no choice but to float." And float I did:
It's really amazing--you walk out into the water sort of like you're walking on the moon, and then, all you have to do is lift up your feet, and whoosh! Your whole body sort of zooms to the top! And you'll still float if you flip onto your tummy--though my butt seemed to stick out of the water way more than the rest of me. You guys don't get to see that photo.
Walking on a sandbar:I was not expecting such a magical place, but it really is like nowhere else on Earth. I felt like I was seeing something really unique and special, one of the world's natural wonders. And I don't know what minerals and such are in that water, but you seriously feel like a million bucks after bathing in there! We were positively glowing with health.
The water was HOT, BTW! The best time to go was early in the morning, or as the sun was setting behind the mountains. Otherwise, we were boiling. And note to parents of little ones: the kiddies do NOT like this place! The salt in the water is extremely painful if you have any cuts, freshly shaved legs, or if you get it in your eyes--and it seems to really sting the private parts of children. We watched kid after kid run screaming from the water.... This is the stuff the guide books don't seem to mention.
We did the obligatory mud-covering:
My friend Noush did this when we were about 14, and I was really impressed. I can't believe I finally got to do it, too!
You smear the mud all over your body, and let it dry, and then you go in the water and pull up handfuls of salt off the bottom, which you use to scrub the mud off.Afterwards, our skin was like butter!!! Even now, a week later, my skin is still soft and smooth like it hasn't been since I was about 2.
The view from our balcony:
We stayed at Le Meridien, which was a fabulous treat. I should have taken photos of the extravagant dinner and breakfast buffets, but I was too busy gorging myself.
It was a blissful 3 days. I've never been so relaxed in my whole life. If ever you make it to Israel, this is absolutely a must!
Floating, floating....

An Evening in Jerusalem

2008-07-31T05:53:00.000-04:00

On Saturday night, we headed into Jerusalem to watch the world come back to life after a day of rest. We got there right at sunset:
And I insisted we stop outside the walls for some sunset-lit photos. I even managed to snag a solo one of my elusive and mildly camera-shy boyfriend: We entered the Old City, and soon found ourselves winding through the inner streets of the souk, where there are hundreds of colorful little shops to draw you in. Me, getting drawn in:They've got a lot to delight the traveler's eye: beautiful rugs, vintage-style posters, wall hangings, hookahs...
Dazzling arrays of sparkly things to buy:We headed up to the roofs overhead, where after climbing a few stairs, you can roam from rooftop to rooftop, all around the city. It was gorgeous up there, cool and breezy and quiet:
We even found a spot with a perfect view of the Western Wall, which was packed with people who'd been there for Saturday prayers:
This was a much more leisurely and relaxed trip to Jerusalem, and I found myself enjoying it a lot more. The city is so breathtaking at night, as well as cooler and less crowded. An evening trip is a definite must for anyone visiting.
Two lone smokers against the outer wall:
Next stop: The Dead Sea!

Delayed Blogging: Gardens of the Baha'i

2008-07-30T05:21:00.004-04:00

We have been running around so much over here, all I have had a chance to do is upload new photos to Flickr. I had major posts planned, knew what I wanted to say and everything, but haven't had a morning to sit and write. I almost decided to skip over it, but everyone's comments from my last post were so inspiring, I decided to take the time--this is sort of my travel journal, too, so I know I will be glad for the perseverance later. There will be a few posts in quick succession in the next few days....
So, after our trip to Jerusalem, Vitalay was dying to take me north to Haifa to visit the Gardens of the Baha'i. I had no idea what these were, but wow, was I glad we went:
This place was, in a word, spectacular.
The Baha'i are an interesting group. This is a religion, consisting of about 5-6 million followers worldwide, who take a very holistic approach to faith, encompassing the teachings of all of the world's major religions in one. They view all of the great religious leaders as prophets from one universal religion. I really liked the sound of this one!
View from the top:
As visitors, we start at the top and go down, but this is a pilgrimage site for the Baha'i (kind of like Mecca), and they have to start at the bottom. Um, maybe this is not the religion for me? ;) But the view from up there of the gardens, Haifa, and the Mediterranean is stunning. People can only go on very carefully guided tours through the place in an effort to keep it serene and holy for the pilgrims, but it is free to anyone who reserves a place in the tour.
We got in to the first tour of the day, at 9 am, and it was already boiling hot:
You've got to be properly covered there--not quite as much as me, but knees, shoulders, and chest must not be showing--and they are serious about this, I watched an intense altercation as they refused admission to an older woman in a sleeveless top! But I wanted to be totally safe:
Vitalay refers to this as my "good religious girl" outfit, which I think he finds a bit disconcerting--like people are looking at him as though he kidnapped some nice orthodox girl.
View from the shrine, looking up:
This place was seriously so incredible, it felt like my eyes were being assaulted with beauty. It was so carefully and lovingly tended, with not a petal out of place. It sounds a little stifling, but it's not at all--it's more like a brightly sparkling jewel.
And this was the view from the street below, after we exited:
After the Baha'i Gardens, I stripped off my sweaty clothing, reverted to standard shorts-and-wife-beater uniform, and we headed out to a nature preserve. It was ridiculously hot, so the place was completely deserted:
But peaceful and lovely, and a wild and un-groomed contrast to our previous stop.
Happy and hot!
Next stop: an evening trip to Jerusalem....

Jerusalem

2008-07-16T05:37:00.004-04:00

A month after arriving, we finally made a trip to lovely Jerusalem, which is a breathtakingly beautiful place:
It's only an hour away by car, but we spend most of our time in Tel Aviv, which is a little closer to us, and a very secular town (we being kind of a secular couple, obviously). That's the mosque you see above, which was built on top of the old Jewish temple, leaving only the Western Wall accessible. Jerusalem is a holy site for 3 of the world's major religions, and as you wander around the city, you feel each of these cultures as separately and distinctly as if you were crossing into 3 different nations. I've always been one of those pacifist love children, of the "Why can't we all just get along??" variety, and pretty laughably oblivious to lines of religion and race (oft repeated conversation: Vitalay: "He's Jewish, you know." Me: "No way, really?" Vitalay: "With the name Ira Silverstein? Seriously?!?")
But even I can feel the differences between people here, the sharp change in atmosphere as we pass from the Muslim Quarter into the Jewish Quarter--a division marked, literally, by nothing but a sign, and yet as definitive a divide as a vast sea. The loud, demonstrative Christians, wandering around carrying large crosses and praying in groups, versus the quiet prayers of the soberly dressed Orthodox Jews at the Western Wall, versus the beautiful singing of the Muslim prayers being broadcast from the mosque to every ear in the city, including mine as I stood in front of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, about to enter the most holy site for the entire Christian faith.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was built around the spot that was, supposedly, Jesus's tomb. There is even a slab of stone that, we are told, is the one on which his body was laid after he was taken down from the cross:
There was all manner of activity happening here. People crying, stretching their bodies across the stone, rubbing scarves and other objects all over it, just generally making a serious spectacle. I grew up semi-Catholic, so I'm sort of used to this kind of thing, but it does kind of turn me off. I don't know why I feel totally OK sitting down to chant to Shiva with a roomful of Hindus, but feel the need to avert my eyes from women sobbing across Jesus's grave. It's weird, but there you have it.
The church is owned in pieces by several different sects of the Christian Church, so there are also all different kinds of priests and monks wandering around in much more severe and exotic dress than I had ever seen before. Some looked positively intimidating in their long black robes and bizarrely-shaped hats! Also groups of people praying in unison, or singing, in all different languages. It's not a traditionally laid-out church, either, with a place for services and all that, but more like a weird, twisty, turny, underground tomb, with stairs leading up and down into different chambers, all smelling strongly of incense. It was creepy, for sure, but creepy-cool, and very interesting.
Crosses etched in the wall by 2 millennia of pilgrims:
Mosaic of Jesus, taken down from the cross:
Very pretty dome:
And next, we visited the Western Wall, of course:
This was probably the nicest part of Jerusalem, for me. Most of the people there were actually praying, but not in spectacular fashion. No one appeared to be crying, no one was throwing themselves on the wall, you know what I mean. I had to cover myself up for this one--knees and elbows--or I would have stood out like a sore thumb. There's no shorts in sight here, not even a female pair pf pants. In fact, next time we go to Jerusalem, I'm donning the ankle-length skirt and elbow-length sleeves that religious women here wear, just to save myself the trouble of fussing with my shawl or worrying about my wrap skirt flipping up. Which it did, in a lovely breeze, as I was walking away from the wall, trying to both hold down my skirt and keep the shawl covering my shoulders. Leave your hot pants and tube tops at home, ladies!
We exited the Old City by Zion Gate:
Vitalay pointed out that all of those little pockmarks are bulletholes, from the war that resulted in Jerusalem being part of Israel. Sigh. These things make me really appreciate the relative absence of bulletholes where I live.
Outside the walls:
That slit in the wall was for shooting your bow and arrow out of. Bows and arrows?! Cool!
Walking along the outside of the Old City walls, we saw a pony:
Which I obviously thought was pretty funny. :)

Hiking and En Karem

2008-07-14T17:00:00.000-04:00

Much thanks to all of you for the lovely comments on my Summer Swing Jacket! I think it's the first time I've really designed an actual sweater all the way from scratch, so it's really nice to hear how much everyone liked it. For those of you who asked for the pattern, it's now linked in the sidebar, and on Ravelry, too.

We've been on a bit of a sightseeing whirlwind lately--Vitalay's parents went to Belarus for 10 days and left us the car, so we've fully taken advantage--despite having to travel with mashed potatoes for what has proven to be a very painful post-wisdom-teeth-removal week for V.
Last week we drove out towards Jerusalem for some hiking, first in a beautiful agricultural preserve, and then in a little mountain artists' town called En Karem.
We hiked down:
There were some ruins.
All around us were fruit and nut trees. The place is some special sort of gardens for organic farming. You could walk along and pick walnuts, almonds, olives, or figs.
And grapes:We hiked till we reached this cave:
See how I'm smiling, like, normally? Well, I was not smiling on the inside. To get into this cave, you have to walk through this crevice, in pitch blackness, and there's water running under your feet, and then you climb precariously up through a hole--all the while, in blackness, except for your teeny-tiny flashlight--and then you're in this little cavern. Also black. I never knew something like this could be so scary, but I was a little shaky! No worries, though, we made it out alive:See how happy I was to see daylight again?
Then it was off to En Karem, a beautiful little town built into the side of some mountains. It was once an Arab village, surrounded by Christian monasteries and convents, but the Arabs left it and the Israelis moved in, and now it's a very cool, artsy little community.
The Christians are still here too, though we couldn't visit any of their churches because it was quite late in the day. You can see one of the churches up in the hills:
Taken through the convent gate:
View from the convent road:
Happy hikers:
On the knitting front, Indigo Ripples has screeched to a grinding halt as, halfway through the ruffle, I ran out of yarn. There was no going back, since I'd already cut out one lace repeat, and I still need to make an i-cord. So yarn has been ordered, and shipped, from the UK, and now we'll see how efficient the Israeli postal system is.... Unfortunately, this is one of the rare projects that I am knitting solely for the end result--I WANT that skirt! Guess I'll have a few more days to wait....
Next stop: Jerusalem!

Summer Swing Jacket--and Pattern!

2008-07-07T05:58:00.005-04:00

Yarn: Henry's Attic Normandy Linen in natural gray, less than 1 cone (800 yds. per cone)
Needles: Addi Turbo US 8, 32"
Pattern: Summer Swing Jacket by me. **Download here.**
Ravelry link
***EDITED TO ADD*** The pattern is now available above as a free Ravelry download. It's only sized for me, so you'll have to make adjustments if you're not the same size, but several people had asked about it, so I thought putting up what I had was better than nothing. Hope you enjoy! :)

I've always been inspired by all things Japanese, and especially by the designs and yarns at Habu. I find their aesthetic so simple and soothing and beautiful. But I wanted, specifically, a short-sleeved linen summer top, a little something to throw over my tank top on a cool evening, something a little Japanese, a little sweet, and very minimal. So I wrote the simplest pattern I could come up with--no side shaping, all one piece, kimono sleeves, no edgings--dutifully made and washed my gauge swatch, and went to work.
You wouldn't believe how many times I almost ripped the whole thing out. Not being able to try on as you knit, combined with having to trust in the fairly substantial shrinkage I figured in thanks to my swatch, made for a slightly more nervous knitter than I had planned to be. Even once it was put together, it wasn't until I washed and blocked it that I finally breathed a sigh of relief: it was exactly as I'd imagined it.
The linen washes like a dream, transforming from something stiff and strawlike into rows of drapey, even knitting. It hangs so nicely, in a way that I hoped it would, but wasn't sure about till the end, and now I can say that it was well-worth the experience of knitting it, which was... well, let's just say, linen is just not wool. More like a light twine scraping over the fingers for about 700 yards....
Wanna see more photos? They're here.
Relaxing on a bench in Tel Aviv:
Hooray for successful summer knits! They are not always easy to come by.
We took a break from eating (well, I was eating--Vitalay is not back on solids yet, having had a not-so-fun time getting his wisdom teeth out, WIDE AWAKE!) and picture-taking to grab an iced coffee (again, for me) and pop into a fabric store (oops, that was for me too).
Fabric shopping here is, well, it's no Purl Patchwork or Brooklyn General. But if you're up for the challenge, you can find some treasures--like this pretty printed linen, for less than $3 a meter! I nearly choked on my iced coffee.
OK, off to work on that languishing Indigo Ripples Skirt. If I just knit 10 rows a day on it, then I'll be done in, like, 4 days. Only 4 more days of indigo-stained hands....

Belated FO's

2008-07-03T05:50:00.001-04:00

It occurred to me, after my last post, that there were several FO's I had neglected to blog about. The most important of which is this:
Pattern: Debardeur #402-T3-366 by Phildar, from Phildar 402 Tendances, Printemps/Spring 2004
Yarn: Jaeger Siena--sorry, don't know the color # or how much
Ravelry link
OK, let's be clear about this--it's not really my FO. Kaitlyn knit nearly the whole thing, and then realized it was not going to work for her--mainly due to Cassie's impending arrival. So, generous knitter that she is, instead of frogging the top, she gave it to me! I finished off one of the top lace sections and knit the straps, which I turned into halter ties, already knowing that the straps were going to stretch.
Thanks to Steph for taking these photos at Kaitlyn's shower! And thanks again, Kaitlyn, for the awesome summer handknit!
And then there was this:I needed a good, sturdy, large needle case for my trip to Israel, something I could put a complete set of Addi's and DPN's in. So I browsed around on Etsy for a while to get an idea of what I wanted and what I could do, and then I used up the rest of my beloved bunny fabric from last summer's skirt, along with a little Kona cotton, to make this case.
I also used some fairly heavyweight fusible interfacing in between to give it structure, and I'm glad I did. See my new little labels? :)
And last but not least is this:Catherine walked by right at this moment and caught Connie and I in mid-photo shoot on her porch, hence the laughter.
The pattern is one of the wrap skirts from Sew What Skirts, the one that is supposed to tie in the front, but whatevs, you can tie it wherever you want. The fabric is the brand Kokka from Japan, purchased at Brooklyn General. This was accomplished in the same several-day sewing spree as the needle case--I was on quite a roll. I wish I'd made it a *wee* bit shorter, but it will cover my knees for all of those churches in Jerusalem, and I can always hem it more when I get home.

Working HARD

2008-06-29T06:09:00.005-04:00

... um, at knitting?Yup, I have been spending my days in various, semi-reclining positions, knitting away on a summer linen top. Occasionally I take a break to scarf down some hummus or take a shower, or read a few pages of Shogun, but that's about it. Oh, and I made this:
Vitalay's parents gave me all of these gorgeous, unprocessed amber beads in an effort to help my under-active thyroid. His mama is quite an accomplished herbalist, and a nurse, so I pretty much do whatever she tells me to.
Garlic, one of the family favorites:Their house is like a little patch of paradise, cool and surrounded by wide porches and a lush garden full of fruit trees and herbs.
I don't know what this one is, but it was described to me as "a mini-orange" and then plopped into my mouth. Perhaps it was the look of shock on my face or the hesitation before chewing that prompted the additional explanation, "And you eat the peel too." Oh. OK.
Baby strawberry!
My poor BF is getting his wisdom teeth out this week, so it's more likely that I'll have knitting to show you before any exciting travel pics of Jerusalem. Wish us luck--I was sick for a week when I got mine out, so I'm hoping it goes a lot smoother for him.

Just in time for summer....

2008-06-21T08:54:00.003-04:00

Pattern: Gathered Pullover, by Hana Jason, from Interweave Knits, Winter 2007
Yarn: Morehouse Merino 3-Strand, in navy, purchased at the Morehouse store during Rhinebeck '07; 5 1/2 skeins
Needles: Addi US 8, 32" throughout whole sweater
Ravelry link
Mods: I added waist shaping, pretty much following the shaping for the Hourglass Sweater from LMKG.
I also changed the stitch counts a little bit b/c of the larger gauge of my yarn--I essentially made an XS size, one step down from the smallest size given, for the body, but followed the directions for the smallest size on the sleeves, which worked out fine.
Also added a bit of length before starting the motif, since I have kind of a long waist and don't like when sweaters are too short on me. Also a little extra length on sleeves, cuz I like 'em long.
And last, but not least, I eliminated the 5 paired dec's and consecutive inc's over the breasts. I tried it, but ripped back and took them out--it just looked weird, and left holes, and I didn't want this to be the kind of sweater with holes over the nipples, ya know?

I absolutely love this sweater. It has been a long time since I've been so happy with a finished garment. If it weren't summer, I'd be wearing it every day. It fits perfectly--no weird bits or poochy places. I wore it on the plane to Israel in desperation to enjoy it at least once before folding it away for 3 months. And three cheers for Hana Jason for creating such a beautiful pattern!
The Morehouse Merino is a dream to knit with. Soft and sort of felty-feeling, it is thick and warm and lofty when knit, and became even more soft and supple than I thought possible after blocking. I'd been dying to knit a whole sweater out of it ever since I saw Jess Fig & Plum knitting this drool-inducing thing, and it was all I had hoped it would be, and more. :)
One more happy roof shot:
And thanks again to my photographer, for indulging my possibly bizarre-seeming requests for photos of woolly handknits in mid-June.

Beautiful Tel Aviv

2008-06-19T09:30:00.004-04:00

So it seems I am in love:Israel is beautiful!
A gorgeous, breathtaking countryside is one thing. To me, landscapes are beautiful in pretty much all of their natural forms--mountains, desert, the sea, the forest.
But often, I find myself falling for a place with a beautiful city. The kind that's not dominated by concrete and gigantic buildings, but instead full of trees and smaller, picturesque houses. The kind of place where you can walk to the corner coffee shop and sit outside, and not feel overwhelmed by big city hustle and bustle. New Orleans is like this, and sometimes I feel like my neighborhood in Brooklyn comes close.
But Tel Aviv has this feeling in abundance. Tropical and warm, full of lovely streets and beautiful buildings, coffee shops, bakeries, and places to sit outside and enjoy a cold beer with your gentleman companion. There's plenty of shade, not from skyscrapers but from palms and eucalyptus, and a constant breeze from the sea.
We visited the Old City, Jaffa, where the streets are twisty and turny and medieval, and contain surprises like this:
It seems I was really, really thrilled by this bathtub garden. A garden in a bathtub?! Who would have thought! I think I need one of these in NYC.
As always, everything's better with two:
A few days after arriving, Vitalay and I are both a little bit tanner, a little less tired, and a LOT more relaxed. We're keeping to our rigorous schedule of eating and sleeping, with the occasional sightseeing trip.
And I like to spend as much time as possible doing this:
It's the perfect knitting spot.
And last, but not least, today we discovered this:It seems that it was purchased long, long ago, and Vitalay was given the task of figuring out how it worked. Needless to say, this mission was never completed. But I managed to get the thing working today, so it looks like I may get to make that lining for my Habu bag, after all. Tomorrow, off to the fabric markets....

Shalom!

2008-06-14T18:43:00.002-04:00

I'm here!After an uneventful 12 hour flight, I arrived in Tel Aviv on Thursday afternoon. Vitalay picked me up and brought me back to his lovely home, where I finally met his lovely parents. Since then I have ate, slept, ate, gone swimming, ate, knit, and ate. And slept. The jet lag, despite a rigorous Xanax regimen, has been a little rough this time around, but fortunately, I am permitted to nap at length, whenever I want. So long as I eat properly.
During the hours I have been awake, I managed to finish the Habu paper & silk bag I meant to have finished before I left:
That would be me, on the roof of his house. Yup, for realz. Can't wait to do some yoga up there.
Pattern: my shameless improvisation of a Habu sample I saw in their store.
Yarn: Habu Shosenshi paper (100% linen), 1.5 oz; random School Products silk tape from my stash
Needles: US 8 Addi's
I'm totally pleased with how it turned out. I really wanted something organic and slouchy to throw over my shoulder while in Israel--something that would hold a wallet, a camera, and some more knitting. :)
I only wish I'd had time to sew in the linen I bought to make a lining with--I didn't bring it b/c I don't have a sewing machine with me, but it will go in as soon as I get home.
The adjustable straps solve the stretching-out problem:
One more roof shot:
It is just too beautiful for words here. Warm and dry, flowers and trees full of fruit everywhere, and I haven't seen a cloud since I arrived....

All about me!

2008-06-10T12:53:00.006-04:00

A Flickr Meme!
This is a game by cast on cast off, here by way of Blue Garter

Click through to Flickr and mouse over notes to see what I actually searched.

The rules:

Using fd’s Flickr Toys,

a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker).

The Questions:

1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One Word to describe you.
12. Your flickr name.

Tag yourself if you want to play!

Hemlock Ring Blanket

2008-06-05T20:12:00.004-04:00

Pattern: Hemlock Ring Blanket by Jared Flood
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport, just over 2 skeins
Needles: Addi US 3
More info here.
Peeps, this should be a lesson to me: Never cast on during final exams!!! Now, I loved the pattern. Gorgeous, gorgeous pattern. Loved the yarn too. Those semi-solids or whatever they're called? Beautiful.
But to cast on for a lace baby blanket with SIZE 3 NEEDLES? For a baby whose shower was 2 weeks away? Well, that just goes to show what happens after too many days of studying chemistry.
I did not *quite* finish it on time. Not having looked at the bind-off till I got there, I didn't realize it was going to take me as long as it did.
But it was delivered 2 days later, and I don't think Baby Cassidy minded much--she showed up a little earlier than expected, and thus was very understanding about my tardiness.

Babies babies babies!

2008-06-01T20:44:00.004-04:00

It seems that we Spiders are a fertile group of girls lately--I think my other friends are starting to think I'm lying when I say I am going to another baby shower each weekend.
But I jumped at the chance to host the shower (actually, let's call it a babywarming, since this baby was about 4 weeks out of the oven at this point) for our brand-est new-est Spider mite, Cassie, lil' sis to the first Spider mite, Maia:
That's Kaitlyn and sweet baby Cassie, and Virginia.
Also present was Peter, who was our most recent arrival before Cassie's appearance. He also holds the illustrious title of the Only Boy Spider Mite. Lucky little guy!
He was pretty fascinated by Cassie. Hmm, could it be the start of a budding romance?
Lovely Lisa helped me co-host:
There was lots of food:
And I made the lemon bars from Smitten Kitchen--they were delish! Just the right tartness and texture:
There were loads of beautiful, hand-knitted gifts, but I really loved this gorgeous Baby Surprise Jacket knitted by Cathy:
The only catch? I did not quite finish my gift, the Hemlock Ring Blanket, in time. At 3 AM last night, a little ways into the very beautiful, but veeeerrryy slooowww bind-off, I had to admit defeat:
It's OK, though, I think Cassie will be cool with it, even a few days late.
Thank you to all of my lovely Spiders who came over and made this such a great day (and especially Virginia who came early to help with the set-up--I can be a little scattered the morning of a party!).
And thank you to my sweet boyfriend for helping me get the house ready, and for making your fabulous lasagna, and playing bartender:
Whew! Now I get to put my feet up, while snacking on a glass of milk and the rest of Jess's fabulous Oreos, and bind off the rest of that blanket! Queue up the Battlestar Gallactica, please!

Summery Foods

2008-05-30T12:30:00.004-04:00

Some nice, strong kalamata olives...

... to make some tasty ptitim!
Ptitim:

2 packages of ptitim, otherwise known as Israeli couscous

a pint of kalamata olives, halved

one package of feta cheese, cubed

one package grape tomatoes, halved

sea salt, fresh ground pepper, and olive oil to taste

Cook the "couscous" according to the package directions. I usually toast it in a bit of olive oil in the pot for a minute before adding the water, and then I often have to add more water as it cooks b/c it soaks it up really fast. When it's done, toss it with remaining ingredients, and a healthy dose of salt, pepper, and oil.

Serve with hummus and pita, and voila! You have a light, vegetarian summer meal--and leftovers for days!

It's Official...

2008-05-04T17:16:00.005-04:00

... I'm going to Israel!!!

I know, crazy, right? It's been a nutty couple of weeks over here. Where to start?

This semester has been insane. After spending way too much time studying and working, and getting sick with the flu, I took a much needed week in Arizona with my mom for Spring Break. It was gorgeous there--I don't think I saw a cloud for a whole week. We lounged by the pool, got massages, and ate everything in sight--or I did, at least. Mom managed to control herself.

Meanwhile, Vitalay was in Belarus:

having, shall we say, a not-so-luxurious time.

That's a knitted hat, BTW. As in, knitted-by-me. Yes, I actually still knit. In fact, I have a blissful summer of knitting ahead of me, just around the corner....

So, upon getting back, we decided to make plans and go to Israel (he's from there) this summer. And now that the tickets are bought, I can officially announce it, and I am SO EXCITED!!! Sunshine and the beach and going out in Tel Aviv and seeing Jerusalem.... I can't believe it. Yippeee!

So ladies (and gents, if you're out there), here's the question: what knitting to take?!? I had this problem with India too, where I didn't actually knit at all, but this trip is going to have a lot more downtime. It's gonna be hot, and I need simple-simple-simple, b/c if I have to drag a chart around, I don't think it's going to happen. So lace, while packing-friendly, is not quite the thing. Any suggestions? Socks, I guess? Like, maybe some fair-isle ones...? ;)

Spring in the air

2008-03-31T15:49:00.003-04:00

Temperatures are getting a little warmer, midterms are getting stressful, and it was seeming like a good time for a weekend away. Away somewhere where there are no tall buildings, where it is quiet at night, where you have to drive around in an actual CAR! Vitalay and I were at a bit of a loss for where to go, but our well-traveled (and witty) Botany teacher recommended Intercourse, Pennsylvania as a quiet and romantic getaway. Right in the heart of Amish Country, it is only a 3 hour drive from the city, and a quick 45 minutes away from Longwood Gardens, a huge and spectacular botanical garden whose extensive conservatory is having an orchid show right now. Wanna see some pictures?

The weekend happened to coincide not only with Easter, but my birthday too!
Thanks, Vitalay, for the ice-cream cake! Yes, I know I'm not 4 anymore, but I still love ice cream cake on my birthday--particularly the cake-batter flavored one from Cold-Stone....
But now it's time to get back to midterms and all of the chemistry homework that I'm so dreadfully behind on. I'm already looking forward to a long, lazy summer in Brooklyn.... Maybe then I'll even have time to knit this beautiful sweater that I already have some Fibre Co. Road to China for....

Domestication

2008-02-26T16:43:00.003-05:00

I've never been much of one for the kitchen. Sure, I like to eat, but it's more of a task to be completed than an experience to make an event out of. I like simple food, things that I can make quickly in a frying pan that involve tortillas and cheese.
But there's something to be said for spending a chilly winter Sunday indoors, shacked up with a roaring fire, 33 flash cards of plants to memorize, and a kitchen full of food. Warm, heavy comfort food, potatoes and rice and hummus and eggs and vegetables and all sorts of strange things that I never thought belonged together, let alone in my kitchen.
I am still a creature of habit, though, sticking to the simpler things that I know will please: What better way to sweeten the memorization of plants than with a pile of freshly baked chocolate-chip cookies?
And I know I promised knitting content:May I present the lovely Eleonora sock knitted for me by Kaitlyn for our first ever Spider Single Sock Swap! This event was, I think, even more of a success than we expected it to be. A few people have had some bad experiences with online swaps with strangers, so we figured that an exchange among friends was the way to go. It was a gorgeous array of knitted beauty all gathered in Marie's fantastic new apartment. Thank you Marie for being, as ever, such an excellent hostess!!!
Here's another shot of my pretty, pretty sock:Now I just need a little time to knit the 2nd one!

Spiders Sing!

2008-02-10T20:47:00.000-05:00

Warning: there is no knitting content ahead. Occasionally we Spiders do put down our needles for a short time (though they're always nearby in our gigantic bags full of yarn) and take the edge off the week with a few drinks and... karaoke!The evening started off demurely enough with the usual couple of hours of knitting at The Point, but then traveled south into the depths of Chinatown to Asia Roma, a restaurant/bar/karaoke joint that boasts a menu of both Chinese and Italian food. Plus, they have all of the favorite Chinese ballads--what more could we ask for, really?After pissing off some 7-year old girls ("Hey, it's our turn!") and getting a couple of drinks in the system, the Spiders took the stage. I think the highlight of the night was Lisa's rousing rendition of "I Will Survive," which prompted the aforementioned 7-year-olds to shyly walk over and tell her that she needed to try out for American Idol. Towards the end of the night, the place filled to bursting, and after busting out a few more songs to a crowd of about 30 people, we made our exit.
I promise, next time I post, it won't involve a bar! I'm closing in on the end of the Gathered Pullover, and am so excited for it to be done--everyone's on Ravelry are just gorgeous.
Happy singing, everyone!

I think his name was Rob...

2008-01-26T12:59:00.000-05:00

... but am not entirely sure, focused as I was on his unusual knitted cap:
Rob (if that was indeed his name) seemed unconvinced that Carrie and I were only interested in his hat, but was happy to go along with it, only allowing us to photograph said hat after showing him some credentials (her press badges, and my pouch with a sock on the needles). Sadly, he claims to have purchased the hat, so there was no knitter to track down for the pattern.
So, anyone seen this one before? Know of similar patterns? I was ogling it from across the bar for a couple of hours before I dragged Carrie over to help me get a photo. The colors are a little washed out here, but it was a chocolate brown with mint-green cables--it made me think of ice-cream, yum. :)

If You Come Here, You'd Better Like Cupcakes....

2008-01-21T13:01:00.001-05:00

... because you'll most definitely be getting one.My darling friend Charlotte, with her requisite Magnolia cupcake. Charlotte's an Aussie who lives in Edinburgh and came to me by way of Florida. She is, as many of my visitors seem to be these days, a fantastically talented musician (a fiddle-player, to be precise) who can be spotted playing with various cool bands around the globe.
I got her all to myself for 3 days of Serious New York fun and sightseeing. We saw "Avenue Q" one night and the "Farnsworth Invention" the next (just to get both ends of the intellectual spectrum), visited MOMA, and viewed the city from the top of Rockefeller Center (this is a great bird's-eye-view option of NYC b/c you can actually see the Empire State Building in all its glory).
We visited one of my all-time favorite book characters in Central Park, Alice in Wonderland:And did about a million other things. And then she flew home, over that big old ocean, and now I miss her! Charlotte, come back anytime!
But wait! Just so's you know, the Swirly-girl Socks are done!I've already worn them, throughout a whole day of wearing tights and a skirt in this freezing cold weather so that I could show them off. I've always been willing to freeze just a little for vanity's sake, but now for knitting vanity too? I'm doomed. ;)

You want more?

2008-01-07T18:46:00.001-05:00

Well, OK! Gosh, you sure are greedy little knitters! ;)
I give you... Swirly-Girl Socks:
Some pretty fair-isle swirls to work on once you've knitted all of the beautiful mittens that one girl can reasonably own. (But if you're still low on mittens, no worries, we've got a pair of those on the way, too.) I used Colinette JitterBug, which is SO nice and soft and squishy.
Got to go knit the other one, then! See ya!
Oh wait, the pattern is here. It's in the sidebar, too. Happy knitting!

But I Come Bearing Gifts!

2008-01-06T18:15:00.000-05:00

I was reminded today that it's been a while since I last posted, but believe me, I've been sparing you. No one is interested in hearing about my final exams--they went well, BTW.
But I haven't forgotten you entirely! I have presents. :) The first one is this:
Well, it's the pattern, not the actual socks. A couple of people asked me to write it up, oh, nearly a year ago when I wrote it. Better late than never, right?
There's more fun fair-isle to come, just as soon as I take some pictures--snowflake mittens and some super-swirly socks!
UPDATE: The PDF for this pattern now exists! Thanks to all who helped me, some rather extensively, with this endeavor. Get it here!

Still Knitting....

2007-11-23T13:59:00.000-05:00

As most of you know, a big part of blogging about your handmade objects is not just creating and finishing the objects, but also taking proper photos of them. People want to see the sweater on a human, not draped over your bed, so this requires 2 people, and some sunlight. Not always an easy thing to come by in NYC, especially after stupid daylight savings time.
Thus I give you, a whopping 8 months after they were knit, my Anemoi Mittens:

I've had PLENTY of time to wear these babies, and can now tell you with confidence that these are one of my favorite handknits ever. They are snuggly and warm and soft and pretty to stare at on bleak winter days. The yarn (Habu cashmere) has held up really well. The pattern was so clearly and cleverly written, and I love-love-love the design. What more can I say?
Pattern: Anemoi Mittens by Eunny Jang
Yarn: Habu cashmere, 2-strands--pretty minimal amounts of each, but I no longer remember exactly how much, I'm sorry.
Needles: Addi 0's for the cuff (magic loop), bamboo #1 dpns for the main part
Started January '07, finished February '07
Mods--none!!! I knit the smallest size.

And yes, I have knit since last February. I whipped out a little Le Slouch recently:
Pattern: Le Slouch by Wendy of Knit and Tonic
Yarn: Morehouse Merino 3-strand, just over 1 skein
Needles... whatever she recommended, I believe.
Mods--Nope!
Quick, easy, fun pattern, and I can both fit all of my hair into the hat, while putting my headphones on over it. Perfect.

And another hat:
Pattern: Basic tam from Ann Budd's Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns
Yarn: RYC Soft Lux
Sorry, that's about all the details I remember.
I have this problem with hats--I never think I look right in them, so I just keep knitting more and more of them, in hopes that one day, I will create the perfect one. It will fulfill the aforementioned requirements of containing the hair (without smushing it) and allowing headphone use, and will transform me into the chic Parisian girl I always envision myself as whilst knitting the hat, but fail to see in the mirror once it is done. I hear other people have this same issue, so I'm not alone. Is there a support group for us?

And this post would not be complete without a HUGE thank you to Lisa, who took all of these photos for me on the gorgeous roof of her building yesterday--can you believe those views?!? What's more, she did this in the middle of preparing a scrumptious Thanksgiving Day spread for me and BK. I don't think I'll ever need to eat (or drink!) again, I am still so full.
Thank you Lisa and BK!!!

Wanna Make Some Mittens?

2007-11-10T18:19:00.000-05:00

OK, so I know that a lot of the people who read this blog are well-acquainted with how to make a pair of fair-isle mittens, but for those of you who are not, and would like to be:
I'm teaching a beginning fair-isle mitten class at Brooklyn General in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn this month. The class is on four consecutive Monday nights (11/19, 11/25, 12/3, 12/10) from 7:30-9. Come enjoy the wonderful world of double-pointed needles and stranded colorwork! Get more info here, and call the store if you'd like to sign up.
In addition, if you're looking for some instruction but not necessarily on your mittens, I'm teaching a pattern help class at Purl as well. You can sign up for single sessions if you're just looking for a little assistance with your project. These classes are various Tuesday or Thursday evenings, 7:15-9:15. Call Purl for more info or to sign up.
OK, that's about enough self-promotion! Yikes....

The Last Last Rhinebeck Post

2007-11-02T22:20:00.000-04:00

I know Rhinebeck is, like, SO old news, so I'll make it short and sweet, I promise.I went up with a few of my darling Spiders: Katy, Jess F&P, me, Carrie.
A Spider pumpkin!
And sweet it was; we ate ourselves sick. After fried artichokes and cider and apple crisps and kettle corn, both Jess and I were moaning from excruciating stomach pain. But hey, what's a day at a festival without overindulging yourself to the point of illness?It was a gorgeous day--a little warmer than usual for this time of year, but who's complaining? I know it will be cold soon enough. Fortunately, the leaves had started to change, and we city girls were in awe at their brilliance:I bought lots of lovely things, but the loveliest of all was some beautiful Springtide Cashmere:2 ounces each of off-white and charcoal gray. I've started swatching the gray, which is going to be some uber-soft fingerless gloves. And then I found these:Some teeny tiny metal dpns! I loved them so much, I bought them in sizes 0, 1, 1 1/2, and 2. They're a brand called Hiya Hiya, which I know nothing about, but they're nice and sharp. What's not to love?
And last but not least, I was lucky enough to have another round of visitors from afar:
Diarmaid, Johnny, Lindsay, and Emily, who came all the way from Ireland! I had such a good time with these kids, who are, incidentally, phenomenal musicians, and who I just don't get to see enough of. Come back soon, my Irish pals!

Pretty things

2007-10-18T15:47:00.000-04:00

So, the crafting has taken a bit of a back burner lately, but I've still managed to pull off a project every now and then. This was the result of our Most Successful Sewing Night Ever:"Our" referring to mine and Kaitlyn's. Most of the time, I think we either drink too much or pick too ambitious of a project for one night. But this project was helped by the fact that it was my own pattern--though I did have to re-read my tutorial first. That's what happens when you drink and sew. Kaitlyn's bag was a Total Success as well.
And despite having little hope of finishing my Habu bamboo sweater in time for Rhinebeck (sniff, sob!), I had to buy some of this whilst working at Brooklyn General last weekend:It sits right across from the register, and I stare at it the whole time I'm working, so I finally went and bought some. Now I take it out to pet it, and wish I could start the deep-v sweater I am dying to make with it.
And on that note, I'll leave you with a couple of pretty pictures and two lovely links. My Botany class has compelled me to take more of an interest in my houseplants. At one time, I was very good with plants, tho I've become very neglectful of them in the last few years. But plants are important and useful (all that oxygen!), and I am determined to take better care of mine.
Jasmine, which has been blooming for about a week and giving off the most amazing (and strong!) fragrance:
And Veronique's beautiful plant, which I think looks like 3-winged butterflies:
And if you like plants, too:
USDA Plants Database Everything you ever needed to know about American Plants.
The American Orchid Society Cuz orchids are purty!

And if you like music, and Australians, check out Belle Roscoe--I've become quite a fan. :)

Pointless, But So Quick

2007-09-30T17:32:00.000-04:00

After seeing Mochimochi's adorable Woodins, and reading that they were inspired by the little spirits in Hayao Miyazaki's animated movies, I was suddenly consumed by the desire to make a little Princess Mononoke-style tree spirit:

which was completed between the hours of 11 and 12 on a Saturday night. I was meant to be studying, and, in fact, the Bio book was lying open on the sofa next to me. But I think my botany teacher would be proud....
Still working, very slowly, on the Indigo Ripples skirt:

But spending most of my time on the Habu bamboo cardi:

It's nearly there, just the upper back and the right sleeve to go....

What I've Been Up To....

2007-09-09T00:11:00.000-04:00

Yes, things have suddenly become much more serious here at my place--I am officially back in school! And as you can see from my bookshelf, I'm going for a bit less fluff this time around--no "Survey of Japanese Painting" or "Religions of Asia" for me. And here's the lovely place where all of this learnin' is happening:Beautiful Brooklyn College, a shockingly picturesque campus for being A) part of the CUNY system, and B) in the middle of Brooklyn. Not that Brooklyn isn't beautiful--we all know that I'm a faithful Brooklynite--but let's face it, it has its rough patches. A mere 3 minute walk from Flatbush (as well as a student ID to gain access to the campus) finds you here:at this gorgeous lily pond, created, incidentally, by my Botany teacher.
Some of you may be a little confused here, so let me explain: I have a BA in Art History and Art Studio, as well as an MA in Art History, but never really pursued a career in it after grad school. I completely lost all interest. So recently, I decided to go back for a 2nd BA in Biology--and though this may seem redundant, I could hardly apply to a grad school program in science with absolutely no undergrad coursework in it. I am so excited about it, it feels AMAZING to be back in school, though it is certainly very demanding, and really getting in the way of all of my leisure pursuits!
But I have managed to get some work done on the Esther socks, mainly in the library between classes:Sometimes the sock likes to hang out on my math homework. To keep the homework company, since I like to pretend that it doesn't exist.
And I started working on some very special, Habu cashmere, dinosaur gloves:No, they're not for a kid. They're for a 30-year-old man. Again, people, this is what happens when you say, "I can do anything you want." I'm a slow learner.
And I had my last international visitor of the summer: Tino, the German housemate of the Australian, Michael, who I stayed with in Melbourne. This guy was so cool and tolerant of having me hanging around their house for several weeks, so I was thrilled to be able to reciprocate a little here in NYC:Hanging out at Blue Ribbon Cafe, having a German beer.
And that's it! Oh, except that I finally got to see the city from way up high--but we were smart, and skipped the 2-hour line at the Empire State Building for the no-line at Rockefeller Center. I highly recommend this course of action if you don't have 2 hours to waste:Hooray for New York! Mmm, I'm so looking forward to fall in the city, with a little chill in the air, maybe knitting a nice fair isle sweater, and eating pies that Veronique makes.... Yum.

I Heart Habu! and all things Japanese....

2007-08-17T11:48:00.000-04:00

So, I'm sure everybody's noticed a little bit of Habu love floating around the blogosphere these days. What's not to love? The yarn is gorgeous, knits up beautifully, is packaged in such simple and appealing fashion, and hey, it's from Japan. Is there anything from Japan that's not cool?
Which is why I made Veronique, who is still on a stash-busting yarn diet, come with me to Habu for a little enabling. I fully intended to get just one thing, a Kusha Kusha kit, which I had called about in advance so it would be ready when I got there:Black Stainless Steel and Terracotta Merino. I can't wait to get started on it!!!
But as usual, there were way too many things there that caught my eye. There was this lovely stuff:Now, I have used Habu's cashmere (2/26, I buy the single strand and hold it doubled, knit on size 1's) in the past, and it's one of those that doesn't feel soft at all till you wash it. And then, oh then, it is luscious. The perfect thing for soft little mittens and gloves....I'm thinking about this combo (the yellow-green is leftover from the Anemoi Mittens) for some very special fingerless gloves....
And then there was this!Bamboo (20/18) in Slate (color 4). Seriously, who could resist? Not I!
I got 5 skeins of it, which will hopefully be enough for a slim little cardi, we'll see. I had to cast on right away:and I am loving every minute of it.

Canning Day

2007-08-05T21:10:00.000-04:00

So, today my kitchen saw more action than it has in the last three years, combined:
Veronique has proven herself to be quite the domestic wonder. She even makes pies! And today, her friends all came over to make preserves!
Virginia came too, and Jaime even brought her sweet baby, Daisy.
We sampled some tasty sweet pepper jelly from last year's batch:
This sounds totally bizarre, but it is DELICIOUS! She's promised to make me some more on the next canning day.
There were beautiful bowls full of tasty things everywhere:
Who knew cooking could be so fun? Well, OK, I wasn't cooking--more like sipping my champagne, knitting, and watching, but close enough. It was a lovely way to spend a Sunday! ;)

A Near Catastrophe

2007-07-29T15:07:00.000-04:00

A serious crisis was narrowly averted here at Casa Yarnmonster. Last night, I somehow caused myself a serious injury to the left elbow--there was a cloth rug involved, and a slippery wood floor--and woke up to find that I can neither straighten, nor bend, it all the way. It can move in a sort of half bent position, but its range is very limited.
So, is it bad that, though I can barely wash my hair or put in my contacts, I was HUGELY relieved to find that I can still knit? Mind you, I have to sort of turn my left arm just so, to avoid stabbing pains, but it is totally doable. I mean, can you imagine, school starts August 27th, wouldn't it have been a tragedy to waste any of my remaining study-free knitting days?
So, there's been a lot going on over here--too much for one post, really, but I'll attempt to give the digest version, in hopes of my next post having Actual Knitting Content.
I've had some lovely visitors, the first of which are my friends Katherine and Jess from Australia:
They were here for a whole month, and got a little homesick, so I took them to a place to get real Australian pies in Brooklyn. I also took them here:For what are truly, my favorite cupcakes in NYC. I miss you, girls! You'd better come back soon!
A few days later, these charming and handsome guys showed up on my doorstep:Taylor, Colin, and my brother David. It was pretty interesting having 3 21-year-old boys camped out in my living room for 3 days--a bit more excitement than this apartment is used to--but these guys are always a pleasure to be around. I don't know if there is anyone who makes me laugh harder than my brother and his friends.
Me and Dave, on our way to see the FABULOUS White Stripes concert at Madison Square Garden, woo hoo!!!In the midst of all of these visitors, Harry Potter 7 came out!That's me, Jess, and Lisa, trembling with anticipation outside of Book Court in Brooklyn.
And here I am, SO EXCITED to have my book!
I finished it Sunday night, and I have nothing but good things to say about it. Of course, I'm devastated that the series is over, and am now consumed with jealousy for the people who haven't read them and can now start at the very beginning and blast right through the entire series!!! So unfair.
And we had our inaugural Spiders Gala, hosted by our incredible Virginia!
Jess, Carrie, and Abby, rockin' the tiaras:Girls in tiaras, fiercely attacking a pile of yarn:And Spiders Jeopardy, Virginia's amazing idea: 30 knitting and Spiders-related questions! And some of them were really hard! Strangely enough, we kept getting the most appropriate questions delivered to the perfect person, like Sandra's "How many pairs of Jaywalkers has Sandra knit?" and Steph's question about the iguana pictured on her own blog, and Veronique's "How many stitches are in this lace sequence?"
OK, whew! Hopefully I can get a little knitting done, now that I'm otherwise incapacitated. ;) I saw this a few weeks ago, and realized that I couldn't live without it for another second. I'm almost to the lace part, but it's looking a little big. I'll let you know how it goes....

Hey, Miss Tambourine Scarf

2007-07-12T13:00:00.000-04:00

Why do I look so sad in this picture?
Because I'm wearing an alpaca silk scarf and it's 85 degrees outside!
But this little girl began her life 10,000 miles away, far South of the Equator, where winter was starting to settle in, and I needed something warm and soft to go around my neck.
Unfortunately, she did not want to leave, and tried to run away with some Australian musicians. (I understand, little scarf. The allure of the hedonistic lifestyle is strong.) I had to go home without her.
She was, however, found out, discovered hiding away in a tambourine, and promptly shipped back home to me. Hopefully now she's pulled herself together. I think she'll find New York winters much more to her liking.
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk, 4 balls. (Yes, I went to the Land of Merino, and I came back with Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk. I was desperate for this scarf.)
Needles: US 7 circs (They were random pointy bamboo circs, the only ones I could find at the shop, I didn't have any Addis.)
Pattern: Mock cable rib. So simple, it's not really a pattern at all.

CO 32 sts.
Work K2 P2 rib for 4 rows.
Now shift it all 1 st to the left for the next 4 rows, so:
Row 5: P1, *K2 P2, rep from * till last 3 sts, K2, P1.
Row 6: K1, *P2 K2, rep from * till last 3 sts, P2, K1.
Rep. rows 5 & 6.
Now shift it all over 1 st to the left again, so:
Rows 9-12: P2 K2 rib
Now shift 1 st to left one more time, so:
Row 13: Rep row 6
Row 14: Rep row 5
Rep. rows 13 & 14.

Now keep repeating the above 16 rows till desired length or till you're out of yarn. I used 4 complete balls of yarn, and my blocked scarf is about 67" (170 cm) long. Bind off. Block lightly.
See, that's a little happier. I'm really glad to have her back.

Rockin' Socks

2007-07-10T13:11:00.000-04:00

I forgot to show you all the only thing I knit during my entire 3 months away!Pattern: Michael's Smiley Socks (my own)
Yarn: Claudia Hand Painted Yarn, Fingering (the camo color), 2 skeins
and Koigu KPPPM (the red color), 1 skein
Needles: Lantern Moon Rosewood DPNs, US 1, and then had to switch to 32" Addi US 1 circs when all of my rosewood needles broke in my backpack. :(

So, I did make 2 of them, but forgot to photograph both on him before I left. Not. Smart.
Wanna know what else wasn't smart? When I decided to make these socks, I said, "Yeah, I can do pretty much anything. I'll make whatever kind of socks you want." And he replied, immediately, "I want smiley faces!"
Oops.
I was thinking of a nice, manly stitch pattern, but OK, smiley faces it is. It took some experimenting before I got the idea of adapting a Norwegian X's and O's pattern into smilies. Nice and subtle, no bright yellow yarn. Did them top down, regular heel flap, grafted the toe. Easy peasy.
And seriously, I've never seen someone so happy to receive his socks. Makes every stitch worth it, doesn't it?
I hope they're keeping his feet nice and warm, in far-off and chilly lands.

"Let's Pretend We're Bunny Rabbits"

2007-07-04T14:39:00.000-04:00

I've been busy:
Making the bunny skirt!
OK, I was totally remiss in my last post: the bunny, and polka dot fabrics, are from Purl Patchwork, and the tiny flower fabric is from Brooklyn General.
I put in an invisible zipper, for the 2nd time ever, and it went really well!
Veronique and I also discovered the Blind Hem Stitch on our machines, and it is FANTASTIC!!! We can't stop hemming:
The underside:
And last week, I finished the sundress that I started a YEAR ago:
It is girly and summery, and I'm quite pleased. This was before I discovered that I can hem on the machine, however, so I actually hemmed this whole thing BY HAND. That's OK, though, I had far-flung friends keeping me company on Skype while I laboriously sewed. ;)
Happy 4th of July, everyone!

ETA: The skirt is the "Meandering Vines" pattern (which is a simple A-line) from Sew What! Skirts. The sundress, however, was made in a wonderful class I took at Purl Patchwork from Heather Ross, and is her original pattern. I'm not sure if it is available, but I wish it were, b/c it was really fun to make, and Heather is an awesome teacher/designer. :)

Home for Good!

2007-06-29T15:33:00.000-04:00

I am finally back home, with NO MORE FLIGHTS on the horizon! Hooray! But it hasn't been all R&R over here--Casa Yarnmonster has now become a little bit chic-er with the arrival of Veronique on Wednesday! We're not looking our most chic just yet, as there are a lot of boxes everywhere, and we're not quite sure where to put everything, but soon, it will be a regular crafting utopia over here.
I've already started shopping again:
Those are fabrics for 2 skirts, one a-line (the bunnies--because who doesn't need a skirt with white bunnies all over it?!?) and one straight (dots). And there's this loveliness, for a pretty summer dress:
I know it's hard to see, but it's really nice summery stuff, I swear.
And that's it for the shopping for me--the nice thing about going away for 3 months is coming home to a closet full of yarn and fabric that YOU DON'T EVEN REMEMBER!!! It's like it is all brand new, like some compulsive shopper with the same taste as me broke into my apartment and filled my closet with stuff that she just knew I'd love. I don't even know what to grab first!
Sadly, she did not do the same thing with my clothes. I guess I'll just have to make my own.

How Did This Happen?

2007-06-20T17:39:00.000-04:00

Um, is this for real?

My New York age is 16

This New York age puts you-generally speaking-into the young category. That's what you were hoping for, right? Run and tell your friends. Then get drunk (as usual). Then sleep it off. Then pop an Adderall. Then come back and consider experimenting with a more mature type of New York life (just once in a while). Have you ever been to the Village Vanguard or the Living Theatre? Eaten at Elaine's? Taken a date to Michael Feinstein? Before you laugh, check 'em out and see what old-school NYC experiences you can add to the new.

Does your age reflect how you're living? Let us know.

What's your New York age? Take the Time Out New York quiz and find out!

OK, I know I am not exactly settled and mature for my age (29), but come on! 16? I thought I was a little classier than that.
Guess not.
So, I got back to New York last week, and began the unanticipated readjustment period of returning home after 3 months. I was ready for everything to be culture-shocking and crazy while abroad, but I never thought home would seem so strange once I came back.
Fortunately, Veronique was around all week to keep me busy with sewing, shopping, and general planning for her impending move into mi casa!
And I met up with my beloved Spiders, who I missed SOOO MUCH, for the 3rd annual Renegade Craft Fair--and I have no photo for that.
And then, after all of this traveling, my Mom booked me a ticket to Hotlanta for a week of family togetherness! So I packed [yet another] bag, boarded [yet another] plane, and am now lounging in classic Georgia-style relaxation.
And maybe, just maybe, I bought some yarn. That might be cashmere and silk, and might be a particular shade of green that we're so fond of over here.
And it just might be becoming a Swallowtail Shawl....

The Land Down Under

2007-06-09T23:16:00.000-04:00

The beach at St. Kilda, Melbourne, Australia:
OK, no worries, I haven't keeled over and died of dysentery or anything--I'm alive, and much healthier than I was a few weeks ago. :) And that is all because... I went to Australia!
After Delhi, I hopped on a plane (OK, not so much hopped as dragged my seriously dirty, sick, tired, and increasingly emaciated self) and flew to lovely Melbourne. I had a brief stopover in Singapore, during which I wandered around the airport with my hand over my mouth because I couldn't stop giggling--I couldn't BELIEVE how nice the airport was! I went into the bathroom, and there was toilet paper AND soap.... It was culture shock at its absolute best.
But once I got to Melbourne, it became quite obvious that my tummy troubles were far from over. I'd dropped to a mere 50 kilos, and though my charming and thoughtful host was determined to cure me with unpasteurized yogurt, I eventually had to go to the doctor, who fixed me right up with some antibiotics. For a few days my appetite was still lagging, but once it came back, it was back with a vengeance, and it was all I could do to keep a steady supply of fabulously decadent, Western food coming into my mouth.
Besides the trip to the doctor's and the few days of violent illness, Melbourne was fantastic. I shopped, drank a million lattes, got my nails done (and oh, did they need to be done!). I visited my friend Michael, who is a spectacularly talented musician: as well as a very generous host. He provided me with a computer full of every episode of the TV shows I'd missed while in India and plenty of junk food treats to fuel me through my television marathons. When I wasn't vegetating in front of Grey's Anatomy, I went with him to his gigs, like this one with his friend Matt:and of course, went out bar-hopping a little:And I got to hang out with my friend Yanti, who I hadn't seen since college in New Orleans!
I have to tell you, I have nothing but the best things to say about Australia and Australians. They are, hands down, the friendliest, coolest, and most welcoming people I have ever encountered. I showed up there knowing 2 people, and left in tears, getting embarrassingly choked up every time I had to say goodbye to someone. Fortunately, I invited every single one of them to come and visit me in New York, and I have a feeling that a good percentage will take me up on it. I hope they do, because seriously, friends this nice are worth keeping, no matter how short a time you've known them.

And that, my friends, is it! My travels, for now, have come to a close. It has been just over 3 months since I left New York, and it has never looked better. I had so many incredible experiences, moments that will be burned into my memory forever, and met so many people who have become as important to me as lifelong friends. I would not trade a second, not one tiny instant of it for anything.
But you know, stepping out of that cab and seeing my beautiful brownstone-lined street, with all of the trees in summer lushness, and feeling that early June nighttime chill in the air, I think to myself:
"There's no place like home."

Rishikesh to Delhi, and Agra

2007-05-20T11:46:00.000-04:00

So, our friends Sjelle, Tracy, and Jen arrived in Rishikesh a couple of days before we left:

We had a joyful reunion, and spent a couple of day wandering around Rishikesh, shopping and eating and enjoying each others' company, as we hadn't seen each other in nearly a month and had lots of catching up to do. :)
Rishikesh is a very cool, but very strange place. It is up in the mountains, high up the holy River Ganges, in a luscious green area that you would think would be really clear and fresh. But no, for some reason, the air is always polluted and dusty--I'm not sure if it is just the pollution from cars and jeeps, or from all of the constant burning of offerings that is being done at the riverside. And while you are sitting down on the beach by the river, surrounded by mountains, it is so quiet and peaceful, you feel like you are in such a holy place, but walk up the path back to the main road, and you are trying not to get run down by a jeep while squished against a cow, and there are horns blaring and people and dogs everywhere.... But one of the nicest things about Rishikesh was that is was filled with serious pilgrims. This is not a place that you come to party--you may come to do yoga, or to meditate, but if anyone has managed to find a beer in Rishikesh, I'd like to know. I couldn't even get a bottle of contact solution.
Puja in Rishikesh:

Snake charmer:

But eventually, Jon and I had to leave our pals and head to Delhi to meet up with Sara and Michael, who had already gone there a couple of days ahead of us. We had a blissfully smooth train ride (A/C makes all the difference!) and arrived at the Anoop Hotel on the Main Bazaar in Pahar Ganj. Now, they had warned me that this area was pretty full on, but wow. Picture your wildest dream of a cramped, crowded, crazy Indian street, hawkers yelling at you, and kids and dogs and cows, shops lining both sides and the street so narrow that only rickshaws and bikes can get down it, and that is the Main Bazaar in Delhi. But did I care? Hell no, cause I had a hotel room with air conditioning, baby!!! Oh, yeah, I did. Not only that, but there was a TV as well. So, it was dirty and disgusting and the staff was a little, um, sleazy, but I thought it was just about the grandest room I'd ever seen. And for the pricey equivalent of $13 a night, we were paying well for our luxuries.
The greatest thing about Delhi was, without a doubt, the Cafe Coffee Day, where you can sit in a Starbucks-esque lounge and order coffee drinks, desserts, and sandwiches, and pretend that you are not in a third world country. I logged in some serious hours there, especially once I started getting sick again and swore off Indian food altogether. The whole city was a mass of contradictions, though--at times all of the craziness and bustle was so wild and exhilarating, and I was so thrilled to be in a big city again, and at others it was intimidating and exhausting and I felt so fatigued I just wanted everyone to disappear. These feelings swung back and forth the whole time I was there, as did my surroundings; at one moment, you can be in a really dirty, poor, overwhelming part of the city where everyone is trying to accost you and drag you into their shops, and then you can hop in a rickshaw and minutes later discover an upscale neighborhood, full of expats and fancy shops, and a grocery store full of imported foods.
On one particular day the four of us ventured into Old Delhi in search of shopping opportunites, and found ourselves wandering down tiny, twisting dark alleyways with no real idea of where we were headed. We saw a few men here and there, who stared at us like we were aliens, but not many. We eventually came to a more crowded section, and as we made our way through, I noticed that the reaction to me and Sara was way stronger here--where we had been getting stares throughout all of India, here the stares were much more confrontational, and, well, more than a little disquieting. And I kept feeling hands bumping against me--just like an accident, you know, but after it happened about 12 times I figured it wasn't really accidental. And then I realized--there were no women anywhere. We were walking through streets full of men! I was just thinking about how weird this was when I saw one--a woman in a burkha. And then I realized, not only were we far from the beaten path, in a 'hood few tourists make it to, but it was also what appeared to be a fairly devout Muslim one. That explained the stares, but didn't make it any less uncomfortable.
Now, I know that every culture has its pros and cons, and we've certainly got our problems, but I have to say, this trip has really, really made me appreciate everything I have as a Western woman. We have so much freedom, and we take it all for granted. I look at the ease with which we walk through our lives in New York and I am so grateful for the life I lead. I don't mean for that to sound condescending or like I'm looking down on someone else's culture--I'm sure most women out there wouldn't want to trade away their own culture for mine!--but I'm just saying I have a newfound appreciation for aspects of my home that I never thought twice about before. Maybe that's the flipside of what travel does for you--opens your mind to other ways of life, and makes you see your own in a whole new light.
Anyway, after walking for a while and coming to a more diverse section, we found a street of food shops boasting parathas and thali, and, against our better judgement (which SHOULD have been protesting much more loudly, as we had ALL been laid very low by India's food already), we sat down and gorged ourselves on spicy, greasy food, which they kept piling higher on our plates as we'd finish. It was SO GOOD. And then, as I stopped eating, I could feel it. All of that spice, sitting in my stomach. Burning. Like a gigantic fiery ulcer. And I knew I had made a horrible mistake--one which was confirmed several hours later. Sigh. Oh, India.
Our remaining days in Delhi were pretty much a blur of shopping, though we did take time out to go to a real bar--complete with cheese fries--and to see Spiderman 3, which made me miss New York SO BAD!!! But going to the movies was SUCH a treat, and this is one of the reasons I liked Delhi; even though parts of it are so so crazy they'll make you want to claw your eyes out, you can always escape when you have to, to a movie or Cafe Coffee Day or whatever.

On our second to last day, Jon and I took a bus to Agra, making the requisite pilgrimmage to see the Taj Mahal. Now, I have always wanted to see the Taj, ever since I discovered it in a calendar photo when I was a kid. It was so beautiful, something about it just captivated me. Now, I'm an adult, and a little cynical, so I was completely prepared for it to be less than fulfilling. I mean, how can something live up to so many years of expectations, right?

Wrong. I cannot, no matter how hard I try, describe how beautiful it is in words. No photo can do it justice. The place is magical, it truly is. I wanted to stay forever, to just prop myself somewhere where I could stare at it all the time, and never move again. My eyes couldn't get enough. And the part that makes it so wonderful is that it was all for love. I couldn't help but think, what must it have been like to love someone that much? Or to be loved that much? But the saddest, most heartbreaking part is that she never got to see it. I have to think that if he loved her with such intensity, though, he must have shown her in other ways when she was still alive.

It was a totally blissful couple of hours. Oh, except that we had to remove our shoes, as in every temple or mosque, and walk around barefoot, ew:

But other than that, I was totally content, even in the oppresive Indian heat, because the thing was just that awesome. If you are ever in India, it does not matter how much effort it requires--go and see the Taj Mahal. You will not regret it.

Still in India, Part 2

2007-05-05T06:32:00.000-04:00

RISHIKESH
Which brings us to Rishikesh, the yoga capital of India, the destination of the Beatles on their Indian adventure, and one of the holiest cities in India, right at the top of the Ganges. Our room has a balcony directly over the wide, beautiful river, and we are completely surrounded by ashrams, saddhus, pilgrims doing puja on the river, constant chanting, and other general holiness. It is a very full-on city, too, with tones of motorbikes and cows and dogs and beggars and dust and pollution, but also a beautiful one.
The view from our hotel:

At dinner with Barbie, from the ashram:

Let me pause here to add a note about health and hygeine. I have, officially, broken every rule in the "Staying Healthy While Travelling 3rd World" booklet that the tropical diseases doctor gave me. I have walked barefoot in all kinds of places, drank water, eaten salads and fresh fruits and vegetables, eaten street food, shared my water bottle with anyone who asked, and played with dogs. I swam not only in the strictly forbidden freshwater bodies of water, but I actually fully immersed myself, 3 times, in the Ganges. And this is the point at which, I'm afraid, that along with several lifetimes of karma, I wiped out my entire immune system.We had a couple of lovely days--long mountain hikes, frolicking in waterfalls:

and doing yoga on our roof overlooking the Ganges--and then one morning I woke up violently ill. I could not eat or leave the room. I could barely stand. Sara fell ill as well, so Michael and Jon were stuck fetching us water and electrolytes. It was awful. Finally, on the evening of the third day of no food, I left the room for the first time to go to an Italian restaurant and eat a little pasta. I'm still scared of everything I eat, but am taking my antibiotics and hoping for the best.We're thoroughly enjoying Rishikesh, otherwise. We've done lots of shopping, had Ayurvedic massages, and have booked ourselves for cooking classes, and hopefully soon sitar lessons as well. We all do yoga every morning, and are buying lots of books about meditation and spirituality. It is SO much fun to be with a group of people who are so into all of this stuff--and three more friends are joining us tomorrow, yay!

Still in India

2007-04-29T03:40:00.000-04:00

Hari Om from India, everyone! I have been up and down and all around this country in the last couple of weeks, so this is going to be a long and serious update. Every place I go is completely different from the last, but the one thing that remains the same is the fascinating, wonderful people I am meeting on the road. My fellow travellers are just amazing in their kindness and friendliness, and I am becoming increasingly sad every time I move on and have to say goodbye again. But lots of us are heading in the same direction, and there's always the chance of seeing each other on the flipside of the world. :)
MUMBAI
The morning after our graduation from the ashram, Monica, Lisa and I were picked up by Monica's driver (!) and chauffered to Mumbai (Bombay). We arrived around 5 PM to Monica's beautiful, clean, AIR CONDITIONED apartment! She whipped up a delicious taco salad dinner, complete with our first beers in a month, for us and her very cool and laid-back husband, who gets major props for accepting in stride the arrival of 2 dirty backpackers along with his wife, who he hadn't seen in a month. They were the absolute best hosts ever. Monica took me on a gold-bangle buying mission, and after visiting MANY shops and listening, awestruck, to her bargaining skills, I bought a gorgeous set for my mom and one set for myself--woo hoo!!!
They took us out for a delicious Italian dinner, complete with lots of yummy red wine--Oh, what a treat! Everything was a huge treatm after a month of [relative] purity. We also spent a day in Kolaba, the very busy but very beautiful area in the south of town. I took photos of Leopold's, the famous expat hangout which features so prominently in "Shantaram". We shopped, ate extravagant foreigner food, and enjoyed each other's company thoroughly.
Mumbai:

On our last day, we went to a power yoga class at Monica's club--ouch! is all I can say--did some last minute shopping, and returned to the club for a lazy afternoon drinking beers by the pool.

I was becoming increasingly sad as the time drew nearer to Lisa's and my departure. Monica is, amazingly, from Alpharetta, so being around her and Thomas made me feel as though I were at home with my Georgia friends that I have known forever. Some people you just feel like you have always known, and she is one of them.
But the hour finally came, and I said a tearful goodbye (very dramatic, I know, I'll see her in GA, for God's sake!) and Lisa and I were off to catch our midnight train to Gokarna, a tiny, sleepy beach town about 15 hours south of Mumbai.
Oh, the train.
Oh. My. God.
The thing arrived, and we raced to our [2nd class sleeper, no AC] car and got on, gigantic backpacks and all. There are about 10 Muslim men laying on the floor just inside the door, and the aisles are packed. We cannot move, and it is boiling. And it smells like something has died--something with dirty feet, and it has been dead for a while. When we finally make it through the crowd, chain up our packs, and climb onto our upper bunks, I am drenched and having a sensory overload of the worst kind. The bunks were plastic and covered in a film of dirt, and I just couldn't deal for one more second, so I put on my iPod (oh, iPod, how dearly I love thee) and went to sleep.
The next day wasn't much better--we woke up around 7:30, and sat there getting hotter and hotter until the train finally got to Gokarna at 3. I was about ready to kill myself at this point--all of my glorious ashram peace was obliterated--butthere were accommodations to be found, and a giant backpack to carry, so there was no rest for me yet....
GOKARNA/OM BEACH

We walked down to Om Beach, a set of 3 pretty coves dotted with beach huts. AFter scoping several, Lisa and I settled on the best of the bunch--a small concrete room, with fan, light bulb, AND--wonder of wonders--its own bathroom--for 150 rupees a night, a little less than $4. The beach here is deserted--it is off-season--and the ocean is as warm as bathwater. It's also extremely, mind-blowingly hot.
In the evening, we walk to a really cute-looking restaurant we had seen, Om Shri Ganesh, and climb to the open air, second story eating area, complete with star lanterns, low tables and cushions. At which point, a New-Zealand accented voice yells out, "Hey! You all are from the ashram!" Linda, a girl from the class before ours, recognized us from her last few days there. She introduced us to all of her friends, a friendly and laid-back hippie crowd, and we have made instant friends.
I spent the next couple of days relaxing--yoga every morning, and afternoons reading away the hottest hours on the cushions at Om Shri Ganesh. Lisa and I shopped in town one day, and ate heartily.

But I was a little bored, and decided to head up to Arambol, in Goa, for the last few days before my flight to Delhi. 3 of our ashram friends were staying there, so I figured I'd see them before they headed north. And by some great stroke of luck, when I told my new friend Sam (from Sweden), he said, "Oh, Paul and I are headed there tomorrow too. You can come with us." Hooray!
And so the next morning I headed off with my 2 new companions, Swedish and Canadian, happy to be moving again, and happy to have such pleasant, male traveling partners.
Sam and Paul:

We took a train and 3 buses to get there, about a 5-hour journey. All was well until the last bus, which sat in the sun for 45 minutes while more and more people crowded on. I was crammed between a teenage boy and a woman with about 6 rotting teeth in her mouth and an inclination to smile at the sweaty foreign girl next to her. I was just wondering how long it would be before we all suffocated and died when we started to move, and finally made it to Arambol.
ARAMBOL, GOA
I had dinner with Sam and Paul, whom I had grown rather fond of by this time, as they had been great company and gave me a lot of help with my backpack ("You have to send some of this stuff home--there's no way you can carry this!"). Then my ashram friends, Michael and Jon, came to retrieve me and bring me back to their adorable beach huts, where our friend Sara was also waiting. It was SO GOOD to see them!

It was like seeing really close friends after years and years apart. We stayed up late talking outside their huts--which had great ambience, making up for the bathroom accomodations, which consisted of a squat toilet in a bamboo shack out back. But sadly, they were already booked on a train up to Delhi and then Rishikesh the next morning, so the next day we said our goodbyes over breakfast and made plans to meet again in a few weeks in Delhi, and they were off. I decided to keep Jon's hut as my own, since our guesthouse, Tarzania, was right next door to where Sam and Paul were staying, and I like d the wacky hippies that were hanging out there. I rejoined the boys that evening to discover that they had rented scooters, and so we sped off down the windy beach roads to find food and drink. Helmets just don't seem to exist in India, so I had to climb on back and cling to whoever was driving and pray that I was not meant to die on a road in Goa. But soon I was reaching my arms up into the air and laughing--it was absolutely glorious, racing through the tropical air at sunset, next to the ocean, in India.
The next day we decided to go to the flea market in Anjuna, a 45 minute ride to the south. I climbed on behind Sam and fell further into my secret love affair with the scooter. There is really nothing better than the feeling of the wind in your hair, your arms around someone strong and capable, and the world flying by you.
The market was huge, full of bright, colorful Indian goods, and vendors desperate to sell them off for the end of the season. By this time, Lisa had come up from Gokarna with another Swedish friend, Ernie, so they came as well. And we managed to run into more ashram friends, Wendy and Kathy, at the market! Keep in mind we are several hundred miles from the ashram by now--crazy coincidences.
Sam's dog, Shakti:

The market was a little overwhelming, so we went home, showered, and went out to eat at a really cute outdoor cafe, the Double Dutch:

We were going to go to a trance party after that, but everyone was too tired. It was already my last night in Goa, so I told Sam I just wanted to keep riding, so we got on the bike and took off into the night--and so began what will always be one of my favorite nights in India.
We rode for a couple of hours in the dark, through wilderness and roads dotted with houses and tiny towns. In every town there were crowds of Indian men standing around, as they seem to do every night, and as we would drive by they'd all turn and stare at us. and I, safely speeding through, holding onto my dreadlocked companion, stared back. The air was, for once, cool and refreshing, and I was in heaven, happy and free.
We stopped for beers on the beach, and then headed back to the beach huts to rejoin our friends, and fell asleep on lounge chairs in the open air. It was an absolutley perfect last night in Goa.

The next day we sat around the German Bakery until it was time for me to leave at 2. I was SO SAD to say goodbye to these amazing friends I had made. I got in the taxi feeling really sick of meeting such fantastic people and them leaving them, but it was time to head north to Delhi.
So this is where things took a really stressful turn. After a 2 hour taxi to the airport, I discovered that the flight I wanted to take the following day, from Delhi to Dharamsala, was sold out. For the rest of the month. I checked in to my flight to Delhi, and called Monica on the phone, and maybe broke down in tears just a little. I think I was just exhausted. We came to the conclusion that I should just check into a really nice hotel, and get the concierge to help me.
So I arrived in Delhi and went stright to Le Meridian, where I squealed like a little girl girl at the bathroba and slippers and flt-screen TV and HUGE comfortable bed!!! I ordered pasta and wine and cake. It was so heavenly. And then, when I thought things couldn't get any better, my friend Jon emailed to say that they were all still in Delhi, leaving for Rishikesh the next day, and that I should just scrap Dharamsala and come with them. And I said OK.
The next day I got up, did yoga, had a leisurely breakfast, and then entered the living hell that is the Delhi train station. May no one I love EVER have to endure what I endured there. After an hour and a half smashed against a ticket window with a million very hot, anxious Indians, I was told that the train was, most definitely, SOLD OUT. I was, in a word, distraught. I found my friends and delivered the news, and they were like, "^%$# it. You're coming with us." So on I went, totally illegally. After about 2 sweaty and nervous hours, we were found out, but fortunately only had to pay a small fine, about $5.

Continued in next post....

Hello from Mumbai/Gokarna!

2007-04-22T01:27:00.000-04:00

Well, I am doing my best to adjust to my lack of technological connection here in India, but it is not easy! If I could just have my laptop, high-speed internet, and an air conditioner that is always poised just above me, life would be perfect....

So, our last days at the ashram were wonderful. Since I've left, I have really started to miss everyone, especially the amazing people who run it. If you're ever looking for a Yoga Teacher Training Program in India, and want to be out in the open countryside with fresh air and fresh food, go to www.yogapoint.com --they're so nice there, and it was a really great experience.

And yes, I'm officially a yoga teacher now! In addition to completing the course in postures, teaching, and theory, I had a number of other very interesting experiences. Ever heard of a Neti Pot? You use it to pour salted water in one nostril and let it flow up and out the other. Pretty bizarre, but I have done this before, because I have a weird trippy family. What I had not done before was use the Neti with forty classmates, in unison. That was a treat.
And another fun class experience was Vaman, an ayurvedic cleansing technique in which you drink warm salt water until you can't fit anymore in, and then you stick your fingers down your throat and throw it all up. Oh, yeah, I'm not kidding. Everyone throwing up together, right after morning yoga class. It was a blast.

And then there were the natural remedies. Did you know that if you tie an onion to the top of your head, you'll never get sunstroke? At least, that's what they tell me.... And putting special, cultivated mud on your belly can help regulate your menstrual cycle:

But the real kicker was when I'd had a headache for 3 days--I do get a migraine every now and then--and this women said, "Oh, let me massage it for you! I do Chinese detoxifying technique." Now, I'm the kind of girl who will try anything once, especially when it comes to headache cures. And minutes later, this was the back of my neck:

But hey, my headache was gone! And so were the bruises, after a couple of days. At first, everyone was all shocked, but then other people did it too. And I'd do it again, if I had another 3-day headache!

We spent some time going into Nasik, where I saw this adorable girl:

And it was my birthday while I was there, too!

After leaving the ashram, I headed to Mumbai with a couple of friends, and had 3 very relaxing days at Monica's house. And I am now at the beach in Gokarna, and I have lots to say about both of these places, but my computer is NOT FUNCTIONING properly, so that will have to wait for next time....

I'm still here!

2007-04-10T02:53:00.000-04:00

Hey, everyone! Sorry for the looooong hiatus in posting, but for the past month, I've been studying yoga in an ashram in India. I've only been able to use a computer once a week (!) at a very substandard Internet joint in the town of Nasik--a very holy city, if not a very technologically advanced one.
But there's only a few more days left of my program, and then I'll be set loose in India! I have big plans to head to Mumbai with some friends from the ashram, where we'll eat all the things that were forbidden for the past 4 weeks, and check out the Bollywood scene. After that I'll be all over, checking out the beach in Goa, the Dalai Lama's scene up in Dharamsala, and viewing the lovely Taj Mahal. India is SO amazing and beautiful and strange all at the same time. It's also very hot and dusty, but that's manageable.
I'm not getting a ton of knitting done--I've been working on the same pair of socks since I left NYC--but when you are getting up at 5 AM and having a 17 hour day packed with yoga, meditation, and chanting, the knitting tends to falter a bit.
Anyway, here's a couple of photos--more to come when I make it to Mumbai and have better computer access.
Me and friend Monica (also a Georgia girl!) in the village of Trimbak:
There are cows everyhere!
Me, meditating on top of a mountain at sunrise:
The girls:
OK, there's lots more to come, I promise! I hope everyone is doing well out there in blogland!

"This Blog is Leaving the Station..."

2007-02-26T13:49:00.000-05:00

So everyone, it's officially official: I am leaving tomorrow for a trip of unknown duration (!) to see some of the places I have always wanted to see. There's no time like the present, right? There will be much yoga and meditation involved, as well as a good deal of sightseeing. I promise to take lots of photos, and to blog whenever I can--but if you don't see me commenting on your posts for a while, well, now you'll know why.
I'm bringing along enough yarn for 1 pair of socks, and a pretty large lace shawl--got to pack light since it's all going to be in my ultra-outdoorsy camping backpack, which does not hold as much stuff as the massive rolling bag that usually accompanies me. I've heard that people knit in India, though, so hopefully I can find yarn if I run out. We shall see....

Where have I been?

2007-02-18T20:09:00.000-05:00

Well, let me tell you:
Pattern: Baby Sachiko Kimono Sweater
Yarn: Blue Sky Organic Cotton in bone (MC) and sage (CC)
Needles: US #7 Addi Turbos
For: Gleek's little Peanut!
Now, you guys know how I feel about babies. Or maybe you don't. They have always kinda freaked me out. They're so small and fragile-looking, and they drool and spit up, and I just stare at them in wonder and think, "A month ago, there was just my friend and her husband, and now there are THREE of them!!!" and it's REALLY weird, and I can't quite get my head around it. Maybe I never will.
But since my beloved friends have started getting pregnant, I have become obsessed with knitting for them. Making sure everything is "just so." Which leads me to this:
Or these, I guess I should say. The Super-special Spiders Blankies for Baby Gleek and Baby Mebeth.
Since Steph is usually the organizer for our little crew, I decided to take on the responsibility for these blankets and get the whole thing going. Each Spider knit a square for each blankie, and everyone seamed together at top speed, and then I put the backing on yesterday. And wow, did this little endeavor make me appreciate our Steph even more than I already do. :) There is a lot to being the organizer, and she does it with such grace and ease. Steph, you rock.
So, I think the mommies-to-be were happy with their gifts: Today was their shower at Red Bamboo Brooklyn, and it's safe to say that a very good time was had by all. The always-friendly staff kept the mimosas flowing all afternoon (for us non-pregnant girls) and the food was delicious.
A Baby Bog by Veronique and a Log-Cabin Blanket by Katie and Amanda:
Not sure what was just said before this was snapped, but I'd like to know:
The girls:Baby MJ!
Once again, I couldn't imagine a nicer way to spend a Sunday--good company, good food and drinks, and the giving of yummy knitterly gifts--what could be better?

Spiders Spin!

2007-02-11T22:40:00.000-05:00

Well, I apologize for the long hiatus--I went down to Georgia last week to visit the fam (somehow managing to escape the coldest week of the winter in NYC), and while there was much going on, none of it was particularly crafty or blog-worthy.
But I'm back in NYC now, and rest assured, there is knitting and crafting happening everywhere! Sunday found us at Marie's AMAZING apartment for a lovely afternoon of knitting and spinning!
Cake, knitting, and "The Money Pit":
I get a drafting lesson from Marie:
(Thanks, Steph, for the photo! :)
And we even had a smiley baby MJ to entertain us!
As for the Anemoi Mittens.... I swear, I'm getting close. If you people (you know who you are) would stop it with the procreating, I'd be a lot closer! But I'll try to speed it up.

Three Little Mittens

2007-01-31T11:11:00.000-05:00

Since we only live 3 blocks from each other, we do like to knit the same things:
Lisa, Veronique, and me!
Of course, they're both done with their second mittens, but alas, I am still chugging along. But I finished the everlasting cuff, at least. Lisa's is Louet Gems Pearl, and mine and V's are Habu cashmere--hers is 3 ply and mine is 2 ply.
Now go and visit Lisa and send her your well-wishes--she had a bit of a skiing accident, and is incapacitated right now. Yikes, skiing is scary!
And now, for the latest meme. I couldn't resist this one, it was called Bookworm, and when I grabbed a book... well, you'll see.

BOOKWORM – nabbed from One Scheme of Happiness

Instructions:

1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the next 3 sentences on your blog along with these instructions.
5. Don't you dare dig for that "cool" or "intellectual" book in your closet! I know you were thinking about it! Just pick up whatever is closest.
6. Tag 5 people

So I picked up the nearest book in my office, which happens to be "Running With Scissors" by Augusten Burroughs, turned to page 123, and got this:
"No, no, no, that's not what I mean."
The next 3:
"It would be a staged suicide attempt. A ruse."
"Oh," I said.

Can't quite find the day's motto in that, but it did make me laugh!
And I'm not so great with tagging, so if you want to be tagged, you're it!

And just for fun: In case you don't know what to do with that old dollhouse....

Not Much Knitting Happening Here...

2007-01-25T19:50:00.000-05:00

...but I swear, I've been busy! Last week, Casa Yarnmonster was invaded by our very talented Australian friend, Michael, who was in town to attend a music conference. Also here were my dad and our two Irish friends, Eamon and Kevin, but they weren't all staying in my apartment! They were all here to promote their show, Music at the Crossroads, which is SO amazing, and if you're ever in Galway, or if they come here, I strongly recommend it (they're also online here). I pretty much spend the whole week with these guys, with one quick dip into the Point for Spiders, and wow, was I exhausted by the end of it! But I did get to see a lot of really fantastic music (and some pretty weird acts as well) and spend some QT with friends and fam.
So to save this post from being picture-less, remember all of that Christmas knitting I was doing? I think I forgot to ever show off the actual FO'S!
So here are my Mom's Norwegian Mittens:
See how happy she is? That's because she lives in Georgia, where it's not even cold enough outside to put on a jacket when she photographs her mittens! We'd be that happy too, if we were modeling our mittens in 60 degree sunshine.
And little brother David's pirate socks:
People, welcome to the nightmare that is intarsia in the round. If I ever try that again, the pattern is going to have to be so irresistible, so beautiful, that I can't help but knit it. But Lil' Davie liked his socks, and that's what's important, right?
And Dad's scarf:
Again, displayed outdoors among Georgia greenery. But he requested it, so what was I to do? I was very glad to see it in action this week in NYC, though, wrapped snuggly around my dad's neck. There's nothing quite as yummy as the feeling one gets from seeing one's handknits keeping our loved ones warm and happy, is there?
Now I'm off to (hopefully) sew the hem and facings on a dress I started making, oh, 4 or 5 months ago. And cast on for Anemoi Mitt #2!
And BTW, I am SO glad everyone likes the tutorial so much! It was so much fun to make, I feel like doing another one. Hmm, does anyone want to learn how to play the ukulele...?

A Drawstring Bag Tutorial

2007-01-14T23:42:00.000-05:00

I made a couple of these reversible bags before Christmas for all of the little sock, stocking, mitten, and hat projects I was carrying around, and so many people have requested instructions on how to make them, I have been spurred into action and have made a little tutorial! Thank you, Steph for prodding me on the subject, and Lisa and Veronique for physically forcing me to do it. :)
I really threw these together, so it's not a perfect pattern by any means, and if you can think of a better way to do things, go for it. But here's what I did.
Materials: For a smaller pouch, you can use 2 fat quarters, or for a slightly roomier pouch, 2 half-yards (which will leave you a lot left over). The measurements for the roomier version are in parentheses. You'll also need about a yard of ribbon or cord, and you can use a double cord stop for your drawstring, if you like.
1. From each piece of fabric, cut one piece that is 6" x 6" (6.5" x 6.5") and one piece that is 9" x 21" (10" x 24").
Fat Quarter Layout:
Your shorter side of the rectangle is what will eventually determine the height of your pouch, and you'll be losing 2" from your original number, so if you want a taller/shorter bag, plan accordingly.
2. Next, take one rectangle and one square, and, right side (RS) of square facing up, lay the corner of the rectangle about halfway down the square, RS facing down. You will be aligning the beginning of one of the long edges of the rectangle with half of one of the sides of the square:
3. Now sew this segment, with a 1/2" seam allowance, starting 1/2" from the start of the rectangle, and stopping a 1/2" before the square ends underneath. I stuck a pin in where the square ends so I would know to stop a 1/2" before then:
4. Now this sounds tricky, but it's not, really. You're going to lower the needle into the fabric, but raise the presser foot, and essentially hold up the top (rectangle) fabric while rotating the square underneath so that the next side of the square is again aligned with the long edge of rectangle:
Basically, you've got a square, and a long rectangle, and you're sewing the rectangle onto the square, wrong sides out. The corners are going to be wonky; just try to get them as flat as you can--you'll snip the corners later to give them a little more ease.
5. Sew down this side, stopping a 1/2" before end of square.
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 twice, and then repeat step 4 again. You're now about to start sewing on the side that you started on at the beginning. You're going to sew all the way to where you started, being careful NOT to stitch over the little 1/2" flap of fabric that you left for yourself at the beginning. Sew right up to it, holding it out of the way (it can be helpful to use a pin to mark the spot where you'll stop here as well). You should have at least a 1/2" of fabric remaining:
Your corners will look like this:
So snip off the corners of the square, and do about 3 little snips into those really tightly pulled corners of the rectangle (being careful not to snip all the way to the seam). This will give your corners some ease:
7. Sew up the edge seam. If you have more fabric on one edge than the other, trim the edge with extra:
8. Now repeat steps 2-7 with the second fabric. I swear, you're almost done!
9. Leave one bag inside-out, and turn the other right-side-out and tuck it into the inside-out one:
10. With chalk or fabric marker, make a few marks around the top of the outer fabric, 1 1/2 " from the top. Then sew around, along these markings, through both fabrics, and making sure to leave about a 2.5-3" opening:
11. Turn the whole thing right side out by pulling the bag through the 3" opening you just left. Tuck one bag inside the other and press the edge flat all the way around where you just sewed. Your seams should all be hidden on the inside of the bag now.
12. Sew all the way around the top of the bag, 1" from the edge. I marked a 1" seam allowance on my machine rather than marking the fabric again:
It should end up looking like this:
With the 3" opening you left still open in the top of the bag, but now only opening into your fully lined drawstring channel:
13. Now tie one end of your ribbon or cord to a large safety pin:
And thread it though the channel.
14. When you get it through, cinch the bag tight with your hands so you can figure out how long you want the cord. Cut it, and if you're using a cord stop, thread it onto one side of the cord. Now, holding both ends in one hand, tie a knot (the kind pictured below won't untie):
Scoot the knot around, moving your cord stop as you go, till the knot is hidden in the depths of your drawstring channel. Cinch that baby up, and voila! You are finished!
Pouches by me, Lisa, and Veronique:
Close-up:

This is what your table should look like by the end of it:Much thanks to Veronique and Lisa for helping me out with making this tutorial! I hope you like it. :)

100th Post!

2007-01-13T22:09:00.000-05:00

And some new Endpaper Mitts:Pattern: Endpaper Mitts by Eunny Jang
Yarn: Koigu KPM in colors 1110 (paprika) and 2335 (mustard), 1 skein each
Needles: Addi #0's for ribbing, bamboo #1 dpns for the rest
Mods: None!
I loved this pattern, it was easy and fun to knit. I learned how to do an Italian tubular cast-on, as well!

Coming very, very soon: a tutorial for making small, reversible drawstring pouches for your knitting!

5 Weird Things

2007-01-08T12:36:00.001-05:00

Since everybody's doing it....
1. I play the ukulele. I mean, not like a frat boy in a grass skirt, I mean I actually play songs. I was in a special class for smarty-pants kids when I was in school, and in 4th grade one of the moms decided to pass on her gift of playing the uke to all of us. We all bought $20 ukuleles, shipped from Hawaii. We were even on cable access TV once in Virginia! I later upgraded, and gave my original to my brother, who still has it.
2. I LOVED the Dragonlance books. The originals, by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. Some people might not think this is weird, but most do. I would ride my bike over to a boy's house in my neighborhood to borrow them.
3. The foreign language I am most... educated... in (though far from passable) is Mandarin Chinese. Chinese, I *heart* you!
4. I am super weirded-out but people who are not "lovers" (ie. boyfriend-girlfriend, husband-wife, girlfriend-girlfriend, etc. etc.) kissing on the mouth. The Italian quarter of my family is really into this, and my Grandma passed on a wicked case of cold sores to my poor Dad, who, as a wee tot, couldn't really object. I'm not a very touchy-feely girl already, but this just sends me over the edge. Anyone who leans in for my lips ends up getting a mouthful of my hair.
5. I have a nearly perfect short-term memory. I can sit down and study something for about a hour, like names, dates, details, etc., and then regurgitate it back to you pretty much verbatim for the next week. Eventually, the info fades into the background, but the general gist usually remains.

Happy New Year 2007!

2007-01-01T14:10:00.001-05:00

It's time to turn over a new leaf!Well, I didn't really have any resolutions for 2006 that I can look back on (except to have healthier eating and exercise habits, at which I failed most miserably), but I do plan on making a fresh start for 2007. Perhaps the blog (and the looming "look back" in January of '08) will be my inspiration to actually stick to my resolutions this year?
First, the knitting:
1. Knit from the stash!!! For God's sake!
--OK, so I'm not going to join the KAL, because I just know I won't stick to it. But I'm trying to come up with a system. Like, must finish 2 stash projects before buying more yarn. Or something. Because I really am a yarn-monster.
2. Knit a colorwork sweater.
--Got my Christmas Lite-Lopi kit from my MIL ready and waiting!
3. Let's take a page from Gleek's book and say we'll steek something!
4. Make another lace shawl or 2. Because I so love Birch.
And then, the other stuff:
1. The tried and true, "better eating, more exercise".
2. Go back to yoga.
3. Do more stuff outdoors. We tend to be a little lazy at my house, but I need to just get up and get out the door more often.
4. Actually finish the sewing projects that I start. I have 2 really cute dresses hanging in the closet, just waiting for me to [hand] stitch the hems and facings. I would like to be a better sewer, but it seems to come only in spurts for me.
I headed off to Cancun to meet my parents and brother David. Mexico was beautiful--warm, sunny, with gorgeous beaches and yummy food (Mexican happens to be the universal favorite food of every member of my family).

Mom and Dad:David, being deep and introspective:We managed to tear ourselves away from the beach long enough to go visit some very cool Mayan ruins:
So that's it for my first post of the year! Starting this blog has been one of the best things I did this year--I have met and reconnected with so many people, many of whom are now some of my dearest friends. Much thanks to everyone who's reading--Happy New Year from your Yarnmonster! :)

Yarnmonster on Vacation

2006-12-24T18:32:00.001-05:00

This blog is officially on vacay:
I am in Tucson, AZ. After three hours of sitting on the runway at Newark airport on Thursday, I (drum roll)... FINISHED all my Christmas knitting! Woo hoo!
So now I have time for leisurely pursuits again. Yesterday, we took a drive out to Gates Pass, a mountainous area covered with cacti, for some knitwear photography. Birch and the Hourglass Sweater are old FOs, but they never had very nice pictures taken of them, and I felt that they deserved better.
More photos here.
I also brought 3 small projects along to keep me busy during the trip, as the holidays can often involve much sitting around, both on runways and off.
The stockings have progressed a little:
And I started some of Eunny's Endpaper Mitts in 2 colors of Koigu: And, after much swatching and planning and debating, I decided to go with the Kimono-Shawl-turned-scarf pattern for the Christmas cashmere:It's been nice getting a chance to frolic in the sunshine a little bit--the weather here in Arizona is very pleasant during the day, tho' it gets a little chilly at night.
I hope everyone out there is having a Merry Christmas Eve, or what ever holiday you may be celebrating! See you all soon--next stop on this blog is Cancun, where I'll be meeting up with my family!

Holidays are for Happiness

2006-12-17T17:15:00.000-05:00

This weekend, I took a little break from the gift-knitting to attend a most lovely holiday party Chez Carrie:
It's the Spiders!
The food was delicious, the conversation delightful, and Carrie and Marie outdid themselves as co-hostesses of the event. I ate lots of cookies, drank a good deal of rum cider, and after the gift exchange, somehow managed to walk away with this: Yup, that's cashmere, baby! Somewhere between 500-600 yards, courtesy of Miss Jess Fig & Plum. I was up late last night looking for the perfect pattern for it--I want a soft, somewhat lacy scarf to wrap around my neck, all of my scarves are either too wide or long and heavy. I'm thinking about a scarf-sized version of the Kimono Shawl from Folk Shawls (here's a lovely example of this pattern). That'll keep me busy during the holidays.
And because a girl can't just make stuff for other people ALL the time, I took a time out to do a little sewing the other day:
And a little more time out:
Both are reversible drawstring pouched to hold the myriad of small knitting projects I have on the needles. The ribbons, apple corduroy, and skull fabric are from Brooklyn General, the pink inside fabric is from Purl Patchwork, and the tropical inside fabric is from Mood.
Back to knitting! You're all just going to laugh at me when I tell you I've had yet another one of my gift recipients request something different from what I had started making him. But it's not too big a deal--I can still use some of what I was knitting.
And much thanks to Veronique for all of her hard work on my dad's present! My friends need to forget their knitting projects more often. ;)

Holiday Mania

2006-12-10T13:01:00.000-05:00

I have been knitting away on my Christmas gifts over here, and despite this, am making NO progress on the Christmas Self-Torture in my sidebar because I KEEP ADDING MORE!!! People, loved ones, if you're reading this, we are officially closed to any further requests over here! No more! My fingers are raw and my elbows ache. Why, oh why, did I do this to myself?
Occasionally, however, I have to put all of these gifts aside and work a couple of rows on these:
Mmm, Norwegian Stockings, I love you! And I have to say, I'm *loving* the Baby Ull! The analogy that comes to mind is milk chocolate-y softness, but this may be inspired by the color as well.
But I know a post all about Top Secret Christmas Knitting is less than thrilling, so I included some snippets of what I have been working on. Family, read on only if you WANT to see the snippets, otherwise, catch ya later!
Hand-dyed Kona Superwash:
Knitpicks Telemark:
Zara:
RYC Cashsoft DK:
And then sometimes I just lose all self control. I read this post and was consumed by the need to make a dishrag:
It's crumpled 'cause I use it!
And then the writer of said post informs me of this:Wow, a Mason-Dixon sampler for just $15.99? Who could resist? Not this Yarnmonster, obviously.
But now it's time to buckle down. Make some tea, stick a pillow behind my back (maybe a heating pad too), queue up some Law & Order on the DVR, and get knitting!

Stranded in Norway

2006-12-03T15:16:00.000-05:00

It seems that this blog has, inexplicably, succumbed to the seductions of Norway. Not sure why--I have no Norwegian heritage that I'm aware of, though my Grandma is Finnish--but there's no denying it. It was only after I joined "Stranded: The Colorwork Challenge" that I became aware of my new love of all things knitted and Norwegian. We were asked 2 questions:
What are your projects for this knitalong?
and
Is this your first colorwork project? If it isn't, what was your first, and has it survived the test of time?
My projects? Well, I'll be starting with some Norwegian Stockings from Nancy Bush's Folk Socks.
Who wouldn't want to knit these? I hope all of you folks form the Norwegian Knits KAL aren't too tired of seeing these stockings, because I've got to have a pair.
Also thinking of, as I mentioned before, this Knitpicks ski sweater. Also "inspired by" Norwegian knits. But I think I'll see how I do on the stockings first.
And no, this will not be my first colorwork project, but close. More like somewhere between my 3rd and 5th, depending on which of the 3 projects I have on the needles get done first. My first and second colorwork projects, however, are also of Norwegian descent:
EZ's mittens (all about those here) and Ufserud. Both using Knitpicks Telemark in Northern Green and Bayberry. The hat used one ball of each and was knit on US #4 dpns.
Neither has had much of a chance to withstand the test of time, esp. since as of 2 days ago it was still 72 degrees F here in NYC. But I think I'm pretty safe with these--could they ever go out of style?
Anyone have any more fabulous Norwegian knits for me? I'm always ready to add to my already-long list of Projects to Knit.

Belated Bog (aka. The Last Bog Post Ever)

2006-11-30T13:09:00.000-05:00

So, I've had these photos for days, and I'm just now posting. I know, the shame.Pattern: Bog Jacket from Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitting Around
Yarn: Undyed Irish aran-weight wool bought in Galway, and 1 skein Louet Gems Topaz for I-cord edging
Needles: Addi Turbos, US #8, 32"
Modifications: I did all of EZ's suggested mods except the pockets. This included: longer sleeves with short-row arm shaping, waist shaping, shoulder shaping, "phoney seams", and i-cord edging. I also installed a double-direction zipper instead of buttons b/c I thought it would be more wearable and modern that way.I am completely thrilled with how this turned out. While I was making the jacket, I was having very serious doubts. It looked like a giant mass of white wooliness, which still smelled a little sheepy, to be honest, and I was afraid the fit would be really off, since it was such a strange form of construction. It turned out to be a snug, fitted wool jacket!
The knitted-on i-cord edging really added a lot:
And though it took several hours to do, it was well-worth the effort.
What's next? I've got several Christmas presents on the needles--don't worry, I'm not going to complain endlessly about them here, but I will photograph them once it's all over so you can see what I was up to. But I will tell you that I had to learn how to do INTARSIA IN THE ROUND for one of them. Which is best avoided, if you can help it. Also working on the colorwork hat from the last post, which is almost done. And Rogue. And four pairs of socks. We like to keep it interesting over here at Casa Yarnmonster. ;)

Happy Tofurkey Day!

2006-11-25T14:05:00.001-05:00

I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving!
So geez, people, when I told you not to forget your Tofurkeys, I didn't really expect you ALL to run out there and clear the shelves of them! We had to go back 2 days in a row before I managed to get his hands on one, and that was only after pushing through "a mob of frantic vegetarians". But get one he did, and it was quite a success.
I've been thoroughly enjoying the holiday, cramming in as much knitting as possible. Wednesday was a whole day of cozy wonderfulness at Brooklyn General, Kaitlyn's new place of employment. Have you seen it since they moved to their awesome new space?
It's so big! And lovely and inviting too. It's a few blocks off of the G or F train, but well-worth the trip. They have lots of awesome fabrics:
And Lobster Pot cashmere!And did I mention how friendly the staff is? ;)
We hung out, knit, ate, and played with Baby MJ all day while the wind howled outside--what a perfect day to have your fingers wrapped up in wool, right?
I made some progress on a new hat:This is intended to match my mittens--if I don't become overly frustrated by my tension issues and rip the whole thing out! I'm in training for my next KAL experience, Stranded: The Colorwork Challenge. Still not sure what my project for that is going to be, but I've got some ideas.
Hope everyone is enjoying their holiday weekend!

Rhinebeck Project #2

2006-11-20T16:24:00.001-05:00

I'm not letting that Rhinebeck yarn collect any dust this year:
Pattern: none, just regular old hat pattern. I cast on 120 sts, knitted for about 6 inches, and then started doing 6 k2tog dec's evenly across sts every other row, till I had 6 left, then BO.
Yarn: Springtide Cashmere, 1.1 oz, purchased at Rhinebeck
Needles: Clover, the little plastic kind in the Japanese package, US size 3, 12"
I LUV my cashmere hat!!! I've never knitted with pure cashmere before, and now I feel like Eve after she ate that apple. It is yummy, especially this light airy stuff. And super warm, despite being very thin and fine. Well worth the $30 I paid for the yarn.
It was a quiet, pleasant weekend at Casa Yarnmonster, other than some dodgy-tummy moments on Saturday, for which I can only blame myself. Brooklyners, have you checked out the Stonehome Wine Bar in Fort Greene? This place is so cool, you can order flights of 3 different wines to give yourself a mini-tasting. There's a full menu as well, so you can easily make a night of it--it would be a perfect date venue as well. I strongly recommend it--as well as some Alka-Seltzer for the next morning, if you are afraid you might get carried away by your flight of wine. ;)
Sunday was spent in pleasant companionship with knitting friends--there was even some hand-sewing being done!
(Thanks to Jess F&P for the photo of Veronique--I forgot to take any pictures!) Food was eaten, yarn was knitted, and there was even a pie! Everyone thoroughly enjoyed Jess's delicious homemade pie. Not to be confused with this Jess, who has never made a pie in her life, and has even managed to screw up reheating one from the store.
I wish every day could be like that. But maybe, with the holiday weekend coming up, we can at least have a greater percentage of those days than usual? I hope so.
Don't forget to buy your Tofurkeys, everyone!

Domestic Bliss

2006-11-13T16:11:00.000-05:00

First of all, I just have to say thank you to everyone for your sweet comments. They cheered me up so much, and it made me feel so much better to be reminded what awesome friends I have, in blogland and IRL. You guys all rock!
Anyway, this week is starting off a lot better, and I've been a busy Yarnmonster over here! Saturday was absolutely beautiful, and Veronique invited me along to meet several bloggers at Purl. I had never met Yahaira, Angela, Diana, or Jared before, and was very excited to do so. They were all very cool, as knitters tend to be. Nice to meet you, everyone! Also present were Jess, Sandra, and Carrie, so it was a whole day of knitbloggerly fun. We migrated to Brooklyn General too, which is so adorable and cozy in their lovely new space! If you haven't stopped by yet, make a trip over there, it's a really cute and friendly shop.
I bought some great fabric and Purl Patchwork, and rather than let it gather any dust in The Closet, I sat down and sewed it all up yesterday!Would you like a martini, dahling?
Patterns: Apron is from Amy Butler's In Stitches and Mitt is from Denyse Schmidt Quilts.
Fabric: Both are Anna Griffin for Windham Fabrics Elsie's Kitchen, purchased at Purl Patchwork.
I love both of these books--they are such beautiful and inspirational books, and the project instructions are very clear and detailed. This took up my entire Sunday, but I am a pretty hopelessly clumsy sewer. I think someone more experienced could whip them out a little faster.
BTW, sorry for the HORRENDOUS photos, the sun hasn't shone since Saturday, and my photographer is booked solid. :) You people deserve better.
But I had to show you the Bog Jacket:
All I have left is the zipper! Huzzah! It fits really well too, which was a relief, since my arm shaping was sort of a gamble. But I'm really happy with it. Better, finished photos to come, I promise.
That's all for now! And I hope you like the new look--we're transitioning to fall/winter over here at Yarnmonster.

Bogging Onward

2006-11-08T18:06:00.000-05:00

So, I've been a pretty poor blogger for the past week, mostly due to some general unrest at home. I don't put a ton of really personal stuff on my blog, as I tend to look at my blog as a sort of "Best Of" in regards to my life and projects, and it makes me happy to write cheery posts about mittens and friends and wool. But suffice it to say, sometimes Life is not so cheery, and one is not always up to writing happily about knitting on one's blog. Thankfully, most of the time, I am, but this has just been one of those weeks, you know?
But Life Matters aside, there are important things to be discussed, namely, some progress on the Bog Jacket! The main knitting of the jacket is complete, and I have, as promised, made up a little pictorial tutorial of how the top of the thing was grafted together.
OK, so basically you're knitting this huge square, and at the point where I added waste yarn (A) I also cast on extra stitches (invisibly, on waste yarn--I messed up that invisible part, tho') so I'd have longer sleeves. This is a shot after I've finished the right side, and am about to do the left:
After I've removed the waste yarn:
All waste yarn is gone, and the live stitches are in the places where they are to be grafted together:
All done!
My grafting isn't exactly the best, but I did my best. I tried to do it without the needles like EZ recommends, but I was not dexterous enough--so I watched the video on garter stitch grafting at KnittingHelp.com (LOVE that site!) and did it that way. I had to readjust afterwards, though.
So, this is quite a bit of grafting, in case you are contemplating making a bog, but it is done easily enough while watching some TV in the evening. Now all that remains is finishing the neck, doing the i-cord edging, and some end-weaving and a zipper!
I'll leave you all with a really silly dog-photo: Peru, curled up like a gigantic bean, smiling. :)

Happy Halloweenie!

2006-10-31T11:41:00.000-05:00

***These adorable sausage dogs belong, not to me, unfortunately, but to my Mom, who is also the mastermind behind their clever costumes.
Happy Halloween!

A Tribute to Project Perseverance

2006-10-28T17:06:00.000-04:00

I have some FO's to share!
Pattern: Norwegian Mittens from Knitting Around by Elizabeth Zimmerman
Yarn: Knitpicks Telemark in Northern and Bayberry
Needles: US #3 Addi Turbos, 32"I am thrilled with these mittens--I love how they look, and they were fun to knit. Who knew I liked colorwork? The only problem I had was same one Fig and Plum has complained of: my first mitten was a WAY looser gauge than the second, so now I kind of want to knit the first one over. We'll see if that ever happens, though.
Also, I finally have my ONE contribution to Socktoberfest:
My corded rib socks are finally done! Don't ask me any details, I no longer remember them. They were on size 4's, I got the yarn at MDSW, and I used a stitch pattern from Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch.
Also finished my first Project Purchased at Rhinebeck:
And a mere week after the day itself!
Pattern: Stuffed Mittens Kit from Greenwood Hill Farms
Yarn: Worsted merino from Greenwood Hill Farms, plus some white merino roving
Needles: US #4 and #6 Addi Turbos
These mittens are SO warm and snuggly! The inside is full of super-soft merino roving, perfect to nestle my cold hands in on a wintery day.
Friday night was another lovely meeting of the Spiders at the Point, and we all got to meet Melissa, whose blog has much intrigued us with its many secret projects. I got to fondle one of these super-secrets, and I have to say, with secret projects like that, I think I would stay in my house and knit 24-7. It was great to finally meet you, Melissa!
And then, I came home to Brooklyn for a little pre-Halloween fun:
We really know how to party at my house.

Rhinebeck!

2006-10-22T17:18:00.000-04:00

This weekend was one of my favorites of the whole year--it was Rhinebeck!
I went up on Saturday with a bevy of Spiders, and it was an absolutely perfect day. Temps in the 50's, bright sunshine, and once we got out of the city, trees full of fall colors. We had hot cider and apple crisps, played with sheep and watched sheepdog competitions, and of course, shopped for yarn!
Click above for the details of my haul. I was thrilled with my purchases--I think I did better than last year, when Michelle, Jenn and I were completely overwhelmed by the enormity of the Festival. Biggest splurge? The tiny bit of cashmere I purchased for a hat. Project I'm starting first? The thrummed mitten kit, because these mittens will be so warm and soft, and fast, and Jess and Veronique got them too, and it's still just as much fun to match your friends as it was in 7th grade.
There were a ton of people there! I ran into Jenn and Jill, and lots of other Tuesday night SnB girls. I definitely missed Michelle, who was my companion last year, and far away in Indiana this year. We ran into Debbie Stoller, who was as nice as ever, and we saw the Yarn Harlot from afar. And most exciting, my pal Carrie (otherwise known as Carrieoke) was here from Georgia!
We even convinced her and her friends to come to Morehouse Farm with us for the post-festival reception they were having--which was fun but VERY crowded. But I got to meet Melanie Falick there, which was exciting, as I had an Over-the-Knee Stocking from her book in my bag. We didn't last too long in the madness, though, and left for some much-needed dinner and then headed back to the city, exhausted and happy. Sigh.
I. Heart. Rhinebeck.

Norwegian Vacation

2006-10-20T14:48:00.000-04:00

No, I'm not really going to Norway!
I'm taking a vacation from all of that garter stitch (yes, the Bog is still unfinished) and making a pair of Elizabeth Zimmerman's Norwegian mittens! I'm using her "Spruce" pattern, which she states is not authentically Norwegian, but I think it's still in the spirit of things. This is my first foray into fair isle, and though it's a little slow, I'm enjoying it. I can't quite get the hang of the two-handed method, but I'm working on it.
And tomorrow is Rhinebeck!!! I'm so excited. Steph, Lisa, Veronique, Abby and I will be traveling up from Brooklyn and we'll definitely be attending the blogger meet-up. Everyone has declared what fabulous handknit item they will be wearing already, but as usual, I can't possibly foresee what I'm going to end up walking out the door in, so hopefully, if you're looking for me, you'll be able to recognize me anyway. I can't wait for tomorrow--I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve.

The Dog Ate My Knitting: A Tale of Woe

2006-10-16T19:19:00.001-04:00

But first:
A Snail Hat!
Pattern: Snail Hat (3-swirl version), aka Dairy Queen Hat, from The Opinionated Knitter by Elizabeth Zimmerman
Yarn: Rio de la Plata kettle dyed wool (this is a single-ply, thick and thin)
Needles: US #7 Addi Turbos, 16"
Mods: Just changed the stitch count due to a much smaller gauge. Note to all who would knit this: DO NOT use thick and thin yarn. I wouldn't have, but I ordered it online, and it wasn't what I was expecting, so it was just sitting on my desk, and I thought, why not? When I take it off my head, it is all lumpy like one of those egg-crate things. But whatever, it's still funny to look at, and isn't humour what you're going for when you embark on a project with the name "Dairy Queen"?
As for the Bog Jacket, well, it had a rough weekend. I was nearing completion, getting quite close to the home-stretch of knitting. And then I decided to go out for some brunch on Sunday, and I left the Bog, along with all of my knitting, in my knitting basket. Only I forgot that I left a vegan chocolate-chip cookie in my knitting bag, and came home to discover that not only had my Precious Pitbull, Peru, ransacked my bag and eaten my cookie, she had pulled out the Bog Jacket for some snarfling immediately afterward. So not only was it disturbingly damp with saliva and covered in dog hair, but it also had bits of moist, chewed cookie ground into it. Sigh. So I did my best to clean it up, but it won't be able to have a proper bath till it's done. No permanent damage though, I'm relieved to say. At least Peru was a gentle molester of my knitting.
After all this, of course I lost all self control and started yet another project, the Over-the-Knee Stockings from Melanie Falick's Handknit Holidays:
I love them. I'm using RYC Cashsoft 4-Ply, and I'm quite happily in love. But I have to get back to the Bog, I know.
Also, did everyone see that this came out today? The hands-down-favorite for me was this:
Eunny's Venezia Pullover. It is just too gorgeous for words, and I have thought so ever since I saw the snippets of it on her blog (she knitted this in 5 days! 5 days, people!) without even knowing what it was. Gorgeous. Will I knit this? Um, probably not. But we can all have dreams, right?

Babies Kinda Freak Me Out...

2006-10-09T20:59:00.000-04:00

... but baby stuff sure is cute:From Last Minute Knitted Gifts, knit with Blue Sky Organic Cotton (my fave for baby knits, though that "machine washable" bit is debatable). Made for my neighbor Annee, whose baby boy is due in December and who has no idea that this blog exists. :)
It was a gorgeous weekend here in NYC, and what better day to celebrate Jess Fig & Plum's birthday than this sunny Sunday, when the temperature didn't go over 70 degrees and not one cloud crossed the sky all day. The birthday girl set up a fine spread on a picnic table:
Hmm, is she pouring herself some tasty hot cider over there?
And the knitters flocked to the sunny blankets:
and whipped out--of course--their knitting. We sipped cider, ate bread and cheese and cookies and doughnuts, and knitted till the sun went away and our fingers got chilly.
Perfect. Day.

EZ's Phoney Seams

2006-10-07T14:44:00.000-04:00

Still chugging faithfully away on my bog jacket--though I did reach the milestone of the underarms, and thus I give you:
Phoney Seams.
I wasn't sure if this technique was necessary, and discussed it with my knitting friends with only dubious results--is it an aesthetic technique, or does it help to hold shape? What is it really for? But I decided to go for it, in the spirit of trying out all of the modifications EZ has outlined in her instructions. And I like it! It runs from underarm to the bottom edge, neatly folding the garment (the photo shows the right side of the work) and it has a very cute, tailored look to it. Hooray for Phoney Seams! I'm glad I tried it.

Bogging Slowly Along

2006-10-04T18:34:00.000-04:00

So, garter stitch goes really slooowly...
Especially when you have so many stitches on the needles! And it's only going to get worse when I add on all the extra stitches for the sleeves. Then my rows are going to be miles long... but sometimes, that's the way rows have to be.
The little smidge of green in the corner is going to be the contrasting i-cord border (thank you, John, for making my decision-making process that much quicker!). I was going to put a stripe in the sleeve, but now I'm thinking no.
Soon it will be time for that nifty trick where you knit in the waste yarn to separate the front panels from the sleeves, and then it's on to casting on all those sleeve stitches. It's really OK that I'm going so slowly on this, as it was 81 degrees today in NYC (!) and that is hardly wooly bog-jacket weather.
Today is also October 4th, which means that Socktoberfest kicked off 3 days ago! I think I am going to use this Celebration of Socks to work on some overdue gifts. When your 20-year old brother has asked you multiple times if you're still going to knit him some socks, it's safe to assume that he really wants them. Fortunately, my little brother will gladly wear any socks I make him, even if they're pink, so I won't have to stick to Manly [Non-] Colors for these. The boy used to go to high school in a purple Wonder-Woman t-shirt; I think I'm safe with pretty much anything.
Anyone tried these yet? They are tempting me... but not for my brother! These are not socks meant for any man. Me likes the idea of a toe-up with a heel flap....

Hedera Socks!

2006-09-30T14:41:00.000-04:00

They're finally done!
Pattern: Hedera from Knitty
Yarn: Tess Supersock (purchased at MDSW), I think the colorway is Frog Kisses
Needles: US #1 Addi Turbos, 32"
Mods: None!!!
I started these on the plane on the way to Ireland, and finished them this Wednesday night. So they took a while, but they were a great travel knit, with a fun/interesting pattern, but not too complicated for my poor jet-lagged brain. And I cannot say enough good things about the Tess sock yarn! This stuff is fantastic--it has a little nylon, a nice bit of stretch, and I love the almost-solid, almost-variegated nature of this particular colorway. Yay for Tess!
Photos courtesy of my darling little brother David, who politely agreed to take some pics of my socks before we began our Big Day O' Sightseeing yesterday. He's visiting me from Atlanta--his first solo visit to come and see me, ever!--and I was determined that he see Everything Cool in NYC. He's still got all of the Tour of NYC photos on his camera, but here's one of us in Ireland:
I heart my little brother!

The (Official) Last Cami of the Summer

2006-09-25T16:47:00.001-04:00

So I know summer's over and everything, but here you go:
Better photos to come, I promise. My photographer's been SO busy lately!
Pattern: Phildar #30, Débardeur, from Spring Tendances 2004
Yarn: Royal Silk by Artyarns, color 115
Needles: US 3 Addi Turbos
Mods: I knit it in the round, for my usual reason (laziness) and changed some of the right-slanting and left slanting increases around b/c I liked the way they looked this way.
I didn't bring this project with me on any of my recent trips because I wanted to pack light and just knit on my ever-portable socks, so it took me way longer to finish than it should have. But no worries, it's still warm enough for a tank here in New York, so it will still get some use this season. Check out Lisa's and Veronique's beautiful versions! And what's really cool is what we all live in the same 'hood, and can now go out in matching knitted tank tops together--whoo-hoo!
Speaking of the socks, here's a sneak peek:
Love this pattern! It's Hedera from Knitty, and I'm almost done. I managed to overcome my fear of that scary leg thing in the photo and make the pretty socks.
The weekend involved two thrilling days of yarn shopping for me and some Spiders. I forgot to bring my camera (sniff, sniff) but I do have a photo of this lovely laceweight wool:
that I got at Habu. We also visited School Products, where I managed to put back the pound and a quarter cone of cashmere/merino I was about to run away with. Sunday involved a trip to the new and improved Brooklyn General with Veronique, where she finally found some Elizabeth Zimmerman books, and I bought some more of this:
Rowanspun DK, which I hadn't bought wnough of the first time around.
And as for Zimmermania, I have cast on for the Bog Jacket from Knitting Around.
I seem to be the only person interested in knitting an adult size bog jacket, but I am SO fascinated by the construction of the thing, I just have to try it. And I think it is the perfect thing for my soft Irish wool.

96 Rocks

2006-09-18T20:39:00.001-04:00

Well, the Marist Class of '96 Reunion has come and gone. And I gotta tell you, it's a good thing it only rolls around every 10 years, because I think we're all going to need that long to recover. Everyone was in fine form that night.
I went with my two bestest pals, Katharine and Anoushka:

So I was totally shocked by how much fun it was. I thought it would be sort of fun, in a weird, surreal sort of way, but what surprised me was the ease with which everyone slipped back into high-school friendliness. I mean, we went to a pretty small school, and spent every day with each other for 4 long years. We know a lot about each other.
Lots of people have kids now. Three girls were pregnant, 2 of them with baby #2! I was impressed with how motivated my class has been to reproduce. I still can't get used to the fact that we crossed that invisible line when the reply to, "I'm pregnant!" changed from, "Oh, $&^#, what are you going to do?" to "Congratulations!" When did that happen???
But we are older now, and one of the best things about being older was seeing everyone hanging out having fun together, even people that weren't maybe all that tight 10 years ago. It made me actually miss high school!!! All in all, it was a total success. I'm very glad I went. '96 Rocks!

Going to see the ATLiens

2006-09-15T12:21:00.001-04:00

So, last weekend when I returned from my Irish travels, this
was waiting for me! Yep, that's a big ol' skein of Socks That Rock, my first ever! My friend Michelle picked this up for me while attending a Michigan Sheep and Wool festival. Apparently the crazy lady who rushed the STR booth and bought it all up in Maryland decided to miss the MI festival. Thank you Michelle, for braving the throngs of desperate sock knitters!
And I also forgot to show you my Irish loot! This was my single yarn purchase:
some wonderfully soft Irish aran weight wool. I bought enough for a simple sweater, but am now kicking myself for not having bought more--it would have been the perfect thing for my entry into Zimmermania. Despite being the origin of the Aran sweater, Ireland is not as enthusiastic about knitting as the US. I was told a few different times that only women over 80 knit. Well, the Irish are enthusiastic about other things (like music and Guinness), so we'll try to forgive them.
There were also these:Little smiley sheep buttons that were too cute to resist.
So now, if you can believe it, I am leaving AGAIN tonight. I'm off to the ATL, my homeland, for a few days. It's my 10 year high school reunion, y'all! I feel old. No doubt I'll feel even older after I go. But I can never pass up a chance to relax in suburbia--listen to the soothing Southern accents, swim in the pool, take long walks going nowhere, and of course, roll to the grocery store in my [mom's] SUV. I get such a thrill out of suburban grocery stores after 2 years in the city.
Next time you see me, I'll be blogging under the Georgia sunshine (I hope)!

I Heart Ireland

2006-09-10T17:00:00.001-04:00

Well, needless to say, my internet access was restricted/non-existant in Ireland, so I was sadly unable to post daily updates of my activities. Crushing, I know. But no worries, I am safely back in the States, and I think I can pretty much remember what I did while I was there.
First of all, here is the reason we were there in the first place:
This wonderful group of musicians performs in a production called Music at the Crossroads during the summer in Galway. They are so unbelievably talented, in addition to being really cool people! We had so much fun hanging out with them--and now I'm ready for them to come and visit me in NYC so that I can show them as good a time as they showed me!
While there, I got to hang out with my little brother, David:
who has been working behind the scenes in the show all summer. I don't get to see him much, so it was very cool to get to hang out with him and his friends:
I drank some Guinness with Mom:
but no Guinness for her! It has wheat in it. My dad was there too, but he was moving too fast to take a photo of him.
After a few days in Galway, we said our goodbyes and left to trek around the countryside a bit and for the guys to take photos. The weather was absolutely beautiful--in fact, it was often too sunny for photos--and everything was green and gorgeous.
There were sheep:

I took about a million pictures, way too many for a blog post, so there are more of Ireland here, and more of our time in Galway's pubs here.
As for my knitting, don't even ask. I was looking forward to many hours of uninterrupted knitting time in the car during our drive through the countryside, but the roads were far too twisty and turny, so I spent the time gazing out the window and concentrating on not being sick. So I knit part of a sock. In the whole ten days. But hey, if you're having too much fun to knit, then that's a pretty successful vacation, right? I promise to get back on track now--I've got to finish my Second Last Cami of the Summer before coat-weather sets in!

Blackout Sleep Mask

2006-08-28T19:55:00.000-04:00

I have an FO!
So it's a little one, but I'm excited about it. It's Steph's Blackout Sleep Mask, and it is keeping the sunny rays out of my sleepy eyes in the morning. The yarn is Debbie Bliss Cathay, which is nica and smooth against my face, and then the edging is some fluffy stuff I found in the stash.
BTW, I put a few skeins in the shop. The next update will probably be in mid-late September, as the Yarnmonsters have a bit of travel coming up!
Next post will (hopefully, Internet services allowing) be from Ireland... wish me luck, I'm off in search of some Irish yarn!