Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Back from the dead.

Nope, no knitting here. I've been sidelined with a cold since last week, so I have been going to work, then going home to sleep. That is all. The worst of it is over and I am on the mend, so there will definitely be knitting this week. In fact, Lori and I will be knitting tomorrow, so I should definitely have some goods to show then. When I last put down my knitting a week ago, I'd finished the first sleeve of Tubey, though I want to pin the other arm hole and try it on to check the length across the back and the sleeve length before binding off.

Congrats to those of you who are participating in the Knitting Olympics. You are stronger than I. Though I don't watch the actual Olympics, I am looking forward to seeing all of your progress during it!

Ed. to add:

Oh my, I almost forgot! Yesterday, I became an aunt for the second time around. Our brand new member of the family weighed in at 10 lbs. 14 oz. (and his mom is teeny). I was so unmotivated that I never knit anything for the poor boy. Bad knitter! But, I did purchase yarn, so he'll be well-dressed for the spring, if I ever finish Tubey, that is!

Monday, January 23, 2006

Four

I've been tagged by Jane. While I don't usually meme, I'm going to do this one just as an update as I have no knitting to show. I'm almost finished with sleeve one of Tubey but did not knit this weekend and never got around to taking photos. The reason that I don't usually do memes is that, frankly, I am a pretty uninteresting person and I don't want to put any possible readers into a coma. So please, don't laugh. Without further adieu:

Four

Four Jobs You Have Had in Your Life

1. law firm marketing coordinator
2. auction house employee
3. Pier 1 salesperson
4. personal care worker for disabled students at Edinboro University

Four (random) Movies You Could Watch Over and Over

1. Shaun of the Dead
2. Lost in Translation
3. Rushmore
4. Delicatessen

Four Places You Have Lived

1. Oakmont
2. Friendship
3. Edinboro
4. Oakdale (with my parents - I don't get around much. Bored yet?)

Four TV Shows You Love to Watch

1. Cold Case Files on A&E
2. Barefoot Contessa
3. Boy Meets Grill
4. Pimp My Ride (RIP)

Four Places You Have Been on Vacation

1. England (London, York, Wells, Bath, Avebury, Tadcaster)
2. Cape Cod
3. Finger Lakes region, NY
4. Manhattan

Four Websites You Visit Almost Daily

1. Post Gazette website
2. New York Times website
3. Washington Post website
4. random knitting blogs when I get the chance

Four of Your Favorite Foods

1. French fries, preferably from the O, but any will do
2. mashed potatoes
3. roasted potatoes
4. cheese and onion pasties

Four Places You Would Rather Be Right Now

1. York, England
2. at home in bed
3.
4.

Four Cars you've owned
1. 2006 Volvo v70 (just picked it up this weekend!)
2. 2000 Nissan Altima
3. 1994 Dodge Spirit (shudder)
4. 1989 Ford Escort (the best little car that ever was!)

Four People You're Going to Tag
1. None - feel free to take and post on your own blog!


More knitting this week. I promise....

Monday, January 16, 2006

A diversionary tactic...

I've achieved tubey-ness and am about 7 inches into the first sleeve of Tubey. Again, no photo as there's not much to look at just yet. Hopefully later in the week. Hey you Pittsburgh knitters! There is a knitting group at the Barnes and Noble in the Waterworks mall this Wednesday, January 18. This is the meeting that used to be coordinated through meetup.com, but since the organizer dropped out, it's a little more informal now. Anywho, if you're in the area, the more the merrier, and we usually get together around 7-7:30 in the cafe and stay until whenever.

Since there are no Tubey progress photos, here are a few photos that I took while experimenting with the "color accent" feature on our new rockin' camera. These photos were not Photoshopped in any way other than re-sizing:

mmm...breakfast
Linda's Family Restaurant, home of the best home fries I ever did eat

hello
Obviously not Photoshopped. Check out the sorry state of the skin on my forehead. Eew.

And this one's for Lori:
funny squirrel

See yinz at the meetup!

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

Progress report

I'm up to 16 inches on the straight part of Tubey, with 5.5 to go. Sorry, no photos, but you're not missing much anyway.

Wednesday, January 04, 2006

Liar, liar...

Remember the post wherein I swore that I was next going to knit a sweater from the stash that I already had a pattern for? I lied. I've been seduced.

I wasn't really feeling the stripes, though I did think about knitting the body in Silk Garden or Kureyon. I decided instead on an all solid version and wanted it to be easily washable, which led me to Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride superwash. I loves me some Brown Sheep and the gauge seemed right, so I lost no time in placing an order to Webs for some in Shane's Red. On a side note, this was my first order from Webs and I was very, very satisfied. But I digress. Though the yarn arrived before Christmas, I didn't get to swatch until last week:

a morning cup of tea and a blocking swatch

The gauge is almost perfect, and boy does this yarn wash and block well. I swatched in the round with both stockinette and 3 x 1 rib. I got Lori to help me take the across-the-back measurement, then got started on the way to visit Mark's grandparents in Ligonier on Monday:

crochet cast on

That's a shot of the crochet cast on, and boy I hope I did that correctly! Took me a minute to figure out what the heck she meant, and the fact that I am not a crocheter didn't really help the matter either. Incidentally, we did not stop at Kathy's as I thought it would be best to save myself the agony of temptation.

Here's a shot of my progress as of today:

you may be asking yourself, 'where does she get all of those ugly towels?'

I'm not even halfway finished with this section, which will make up the top of the back and edge of the collar. I am a pretty slow knitter, and a slower purler, so I am looking forward to the part where I can start knitting the tubes.

In reading news, I am currently making my way through the Yarn Harlot's second book, which was a Christmas gift from my mother. I am positive that the people on the bus now think that I am a total lunatic. First it was the obsessive knitting, and now, the blatant snort-laughing as I read. Perfect.