Don't Eliminate Me, I'm Knitting!

Earlier this week we went to see a Giant's game, and my husband failed to mention that it was Stitch and Pitch Night! Actually, we were in the stadium for a while before I realized what was going on. It wasn't until they showed some knitters on the scoreboard screen, that I figured out what was happening.

So I didn't bring any knitting, but I'm not good at knitting in public anyway. I get too distracted by everything else that's going on. It was pretty interesting anyway though...


Also nearby was a woman who had knit her whole family matching hats...


I couldn't get a picture of the actual knitter, but she was was wearing a handknit scarf in Giant's colors as well. My pictures are really bad. Blame it on a couple of beers and low-light conditions--not a good combination.

I only saw one other knitter in my immediate vicinity--I think most of the knitters may have been concentrated in a special area. They showed a group knitting Giant's baseball gloves at one point. It was pretty funny.

My Snicket sock is progressing slowly. This pattern requires a lot of attention, but the result is very impressive. At least I think so!


The yarn is one I had never heard of before: Rio de la Plata. It is kettle-dyed in Uruguay. I love the subtle color variation you get in yarn dyed in this way.

My one annoyance with these socks is the needles. They are Addi DPNs, and they are just too long. It's makes for very awkward knitting, especially on such small needles. I don't have many smaller size DPNs, so I may have to invest in some if the sock knitting is going to continue!

Socks to Keep Me Warm

My socks are finished... just in time to keep my warm during another cold, foggy stretch! Actually, I shouldn't complain too much--we have had a few nice days here and there. Last Saturday it was in the 70s, and it felt like a heat wave. Plus, it's getting closer to September every day, and I hear that's when it starts getting summery here.

I probably obsess about the weather a little too much (my husband thinks so!), so I will move on to the socks.


Pattern: Diagonal Rib Socks from Knitting Daily
Yarn: Koigu KPPPM
Needles: US1 DPNs

I enjoyed everything about these socks. The pattern was easy to memorize and follow, and the yarn was beautiful. I love the tonal variations, and the socks are so warm and soft. This was my first time using Koigu, and I'll definitely use it again. In fact, I've already picked up some more:)


My least favorite part is always the kitchener stitch. I'm never quite sure if I'm doing it correctly. I followed the directions, so I will just have to assume I did it right. The toes haven't fallen apart on any socks I've knit yet--I guess that's a good sign!


My only disappointment is that I have so much yarn left over. I didn't have nearly as much as the pattern suggested, so I took 3 inches off each leg. I could probably have gotten at least another inch out of what I have left. I'm not sure what I can do with such a small amount--maybe I'll make an iPod cozy or something.

I've definitely been bit by the sock bug after knitting these. In fact, I've already cast on for another pair!

Lots of Knitting Going On!

I've been doing a lot of knitting over the past few days. My husband has been feeling under the weather (that's actually a major understatement!) with some wisdom teeth issues, so we have been hanging around the house trying to relax. We never made it to the play last weekend (somewhat of a relief since it was cold and drizzling) or did much of anything, actually!

I managed to add a few inches to my cardi. I was so happy to set aside the sleeves--that made for much quicker knitting. The rest of the body should move fairly quick.

I also began my second Diagonal Rib Sock. The leg is progressing quickly thanks to the easy to remember pattern. I'm looking forward to wearing those socks soon!

One thing that is slowing me down on both of these projects though: the new scarf I cast on for...


The pattern is the Trellis Scarf from the Spring 2006 Interweave Knits, and the yarn is Malabrigo Lace, which is just amazing! It is so soft. I'm really loving working with it. This is the first time I've used Malabrigo-although I've heard a lot about it's wonderful qualities-and I definitely plan on trying the standard variety at some point.

This is my second lace project, and it's much more challenging than the first, which basically consisted of YOs and K2togs. The pattern for this scarf has a crazy stitch called the "7 into 5 cluster", which is: K7tog, leave stitches on needle, YO, Knit same 7 together again and leave on needle, YO, knit same 7 together once more and slip stitches from needle. Needless to say, it is pretty difficult to K7tog. I had to use a crochet hook to draw the yarn through the 7 stitches. Thankfully, this stitch only appear every 8 rows!

The true color of the yarn is closer to this...

Sort of a strawberry color

I realized last night that all my current projects are on size 3 or smaller needles. I may need to do something super bulky next. I do have a couple of sweaters that I haven't worked on for a while though, so I if I feel the need for some instant gratification I can always pick up one of those!

Trying to Stay Warm: Summer in San Francisco

The fog has rolled into our neighborhood over the past few day, and it is thick. I never saw fog like this until I moved to San Francisco. The fog here is usually pretty high , and you can see it moving through the air in thick wisps (it's a little ghostly). When it's really thick it hangs at street level, and you can feel a fine mist when you walk through it (which makes for a lot of bad hair days).


This is a view from our living room window. Our apartment is at the back of the building, and on a clear day you can see the ocean (20+ blocks away) and off the the right you can see Golden Gate Park (a couple blocks away). Our current view is about one block out.

As you might imagine, it's pretty chilly. Perfect weather for staying inside with a cup of tea and some knitting! This morning I finished my first Diagonal Rib Sock.


I'm really happy with how it turned out. This fit is perfect, snug but not tight, and I love the subtle variation in the yarn. I shortened the leg portion of sock by several inches, because I wasn't sure I'd have enough yarn. I could have added at least an extra inch though--I have a sizable amount left over. Now I just need to knit the second sock and at least my feet will be warm.

Tonight we are going to see an outdoor play. We went to see Richard III at the same place about a month ago, and it was freezing. People were wearing down jackets, wool hats and mittens. We were totally unprepared (it was June--summer is supposed to be hot!), but thankfully we had a blanket in the trunk of the car.

I'll be ready tonight. This will be a good excuse to wear some of my handknits. There's nothing quite like alpaca in July. I may end of looking like a miss-matched dork, but at least I'll be warm!

A Little Progress

The past two weeks have been really busy. Our friends were in town from Chicago, so we had a lot of fun hanging out and showing them around. While they were here, we headed up to Mendocino/Fort Bragg--another beautiful California area!

We spent a lot of time in the sun, and I got burned a few times. Anytime I'm in the sun for more than half an hour, even with sunblock, I will burn. I know it's bad when strangers start commenting. Now I'm peeling, and it's not a good look!

I have managed to get a little knitting done. My cardi is coming along--I'm almost ready to join under the arms.


I really like knitting anything in the round, especially from the top down. I am at my least favorite part though. It seems like there are a million stitches in every row, and it's taking forever. Only an inch or so to go until I set aside the sleeve stitches. I'm getting impatient!

Beginnings of a Not-So-Shrunken Cardigan

After finishing my scarf, I wanted to start a new project, something big. By big, I mean a sweater. Although I have a few big projects going already (one of which I'm thinking about restarting), I wanted to use some of my new yarn. So yesterday I cast on for Marilyn's Not-So-Shrunken Cardigan from Knit and Tonic.


Not the greatest photo, but it is a top-down raglan and smooshed onto a 24" needle, so there's not much room to spread it out. I'm using Silky Tweed and really enjoying it so far. It's a soft pink with bits of hot pink, white, orange and a touch of grey.

I had to go down three needle sizes to get gauge! Generally, I start out by going down two sizes (apparently, I'm a very loose knitter), but three is a lot. I think I've mentioned before how much I hate swatching, but I really hate ripping more, so I tend to do mini 1-inch swatches, 2 at the max. This method hasn't really failed me yet, so I don't foresee any 4-inch swatches in my future.

Yesterday was spent reading, watching movies and starting my cardi. It was the perfect day!

At Long Last.... Finished Silk Lace Scarf

I can't believe this scarf took me a month and a half to knit. Every time I worked on it I seemed to make a lot of progress. I just never really seemed to get anywhere. Scarves are just not very exciting to knit--even lacy, silky ones.

Pattern: Silk Lace Scarf by Darlene Joyce from the Stitch and Bitch Calendar
Yarn: Shadyside Studio Wools Raw Silk

This was my first time knitting lace, and I really enjoyed it. I picked the perfect pattern--it really was simple. It's the perfect kind of lightweight scarf that I'll be able to wear year round.

The yarn was very nice as well--my first time knitting with 100% silk. Very decadent. The especially nice part is that I have enough left over to make another (small) project.

All in all, I'm very happy with my scarf, although I can see by the photo that I need to trim the ends of the fringe:)


Last weekend we ventured out to Mt. Tamalpais for a little hiking. (Happily, everyone refers to it as Mt. Tam, because I still haven't figured out how to pronounce that.) We left our chilly neighborhood all bundled up, but by the time we finally made it to the top it was, as they say, hotter than the blazes. Whew... I've grown accustomed to constantly being chilly, so it was a bit of a shock to the system.

The views were amazing, albeit a bit hazy. If you maximize the picture, you can probably make out San Francisco in the top right corner. This shot is looking toward the bay; the ocean view was even more hazy. I can only imagine the views from there on a clear day--it must be absolutely amazing.

Monterey, Big Sur and Even Some Knitting!

We had a great time in Monterey on Saturday, and we even checked out the touristy parts, which we usually skip. Fisherman's Wharf wasn't too crowded, and we saw lots of cute sea lions.


We also had a very friendly bluebird on our hotel deck.


Our hotel was a nice surprise. We weren't sure what to expect, but it was very relaxing. There was a fireplace, deck and lots more. Most importantly though, it was located within walking distance of dinner and the main event...


Joel is a huge Beach Boys fan, and Brian Wilson (along with "special guest" Al Jardine) was playing in Monterey. So we celebrated his birthday a little early. He even bought a Hawaiian shirt especially for the show. It was a really fun. Of course, drinking copious amounts of wine beforehand added to the fun, as well:)

On Sunday we took the 17-mile drive, picked up a picnic lunch in Carmel and then drove down through Big Sur. The day started out a little foggy, but it turned into a beautiful day.


It was very windy--California is one windy state, at least in my neck of the woods. Most attempts to get my picture turned out like this:


Big Sur was amazingly beautiful. It took us a really long time to get from Carmel to San Simeon, because we kept stopping. I don't think we drove a mile straight the whole time!



One of the last things we saw before heading away from the coast, were these crazy, huge Elephant Seals. I have never seen anything like them--they were a little scary and just absolutely enormous. It was a cool surprise.


I even got a little knitting done...


I'm just about ready to bind off my silk scarf, which I have been working on little by little. It will have fringe and will grow with blocking, so I think it's just about the perfect length.

Yarn, Yarn Everywhere!

Even though my stash is threatening to overtake our second bedroom, I could resist picking up some new yarn recently.


Some lovely Lorna's Laces Shepard Worsted. I LOVE this yarn, so I couldn't resist picking up more! I may make another pair of cabled footies, but I'm also looking for other patterns.


Frog Tree Alpaca in sport weight. I had originally imagined this yarn as a pair of Endpaper Mitts, but I don't think it's the right weight. We'll see...


Malabrigo Lace. This yarn is SO soft! The actual color is a bit darker--it's a mix of dark red, deep pink and a touch of orange. I'm thinking this will become a Trellis Scarf (pattern in Spring 2006 Interweave Knits). This pattern includes a "Knit 7 together" stitch. Hmm...


And finally, Elsebeth Lavold Silky Tweed. This is destined to become a Not-So-Shrunken Cardigan. This pattern never really appealed to me... until I saw this version.

We are off to Monterey tomorrow morning to celebrate my husband's birthday. He is turning the big 3-2 soon. We are both becoming firmly entrenched in our 30s, but I like the fact that he will always be a little older than me:)

Diagonal Rib Sock Progress

I've made some progress on my sock. Not a very exciting photo, but socks are hard to photograph. I'm ready to start working on the gusset.


The pattern is simple and easy to memorize, which is always nice, and I'm still enjoying the yarn. I shortened the cuff by about 3 inches--thankfully, I re-read the pattern and realized I that I had less than originally called for.

This week seems to be going by quickly. Tomorrow is Wednesday already--Yeah! Things are looking good for the rest of the week. Work has been really busy lately, but I have no more meetings this week, so hopefully I'll actually be able to get some work done. AND we are heading to Monterey for the weekend. I'm definitely looking forward to that!

Beginnings of a Sock & 7 Things

I really love knitting on planes--I find it very relaxing. I'm not a nervous flyer, but knitting really helps pass the time. Just before our trip to San Diego, I came across the Diagonal Rib Socks pattern from Knitting Daily and decided they would be perfect for the trip.


I'm not very far, but the plane ride to San Diego is not very long! Plus, on the way back I was sleepy, and decided I needed to read a fluffy magazine instead (my other travel must).

I'm knitting these out of Koigu, and now I know why people love this yarn so much. The color in the photo is way off. San Francisco has been having some overcast weather, so it is hard to get good photos. It's not pink/magenta at all, but really more of a deep plum. I'm loving working with this yarn!

Right Out Loud tagged me for the 7 Random Things meme. I'm glad it wasn't the 8 Things one that is also going around, because it is hard to come up with this stuff!

1. My husband and I were married in New Orleans under a giant oak tree a year before Hurricane Katrina. We think the tree is still there, but are not sure. I have so many good memories there, that I think it would be depressing to visit there now.

2. Since graduating from college, I have lived in 5 states: Florida, Wisconsin (my home state), Illinois, Michigan and now California. I grew up in a small town near Green Bay and always wanted to get out and live in a big city. This is one of the few things I imagined myself doing as a child/teen that actually came true!

3. I'm pretty shy, and I especially dislike large groups of strangers. I find mass networking events especially unpleasant.

4. I've always been into art and craft, and I was an art major in college. I was especially into pinhole photograpy and printmaking. A newer interest of mine has been book arts.

5. In high school track, my event was discus. My school didn't really have any good female shot putters, so all the girls who did discus also had to do shot put. I've always been fairly wimpy, and I got by with discus by having "good form". That didn't really work with shot put, so this event could get pretty mortifying at times!

6. I've only had two cars. The first was an '88 Plymouth Sundance, that I finally replaced about two and half years ago. It still ran very well, but both air conditioning and heat were issues. When the ceiling started falling down, that was the last straw:)

7. Normally, I'm not an indecisive shopper, but whenever I receive a gift certificate, I have a very difficult time deciding what to use it for. For some reason, I feel like I need to purchase something special with it. As a result, I tend to hold onto to them for a long time before finding the right thing.

OK, if you are one of the 5 people out there who hasn't done this meme and would like to, consider yourself tagged!

Finished Sweater and San Diego Fun

Well, I finished my sweater... yesterday. I decided early Friday night that it wasn't worth stressing to finish it. The night before a trip is crazy enough as is.

Pattern: A Sweater for All Ages from The Yarn Girls Guide to Beyond the Basics
Yarn: Artful Yarns Fable
Mods: Added 1.5 inches to length.

This sweater turned out fairly well over all. I only used 2 of the 3 skeins called for in the pattern, which was nice. I like the fit as well.

However, even though I added an inch and a half to the length it is still way too short. We're talking stomach exposing (see second photo). This is the second sweater I've made from this book, and I had the same problem with the first, although not nearly so bad. I'll definitely be keeping this in mind if I make anything else from the book.

Not a very good photo, but I think you get the idea. Believe it or not, I was pulling it down the whole time I was taking photots.

Since I have so much yarn left, I guess I could undo the side seams a little and add a few inches to the bottom. I'd definitely wear it more if it was longer. What a pain though!

We had a really fun trip to San Diego. The weather was warmer than the mid-60s they were predicting, so we were a little toasty. We stayed in a really nice hotel with an amazingly comfortable bed. It was great!


What wasn't nice was being woken up by the fire alarm going off at 2am! Talk about terrifying. I think we would have been burned to a crisp by the time we made it downstairs if there had been a real fire, but thankfully someone had just burned their popcorn! It was hard to fall back asleep after that.


Saturday we walked to Balboa Park, which was really pretty. The architecture of all the buildings was beautiful and it was very warm. I wish I had packed my shorts!

We had a good time at Petco Park, too, although the Brewers lost both of their games. As you can imagine, Joel wasn't very happy. We had great seats for both games which was a plus though. The food at this stadium was pretty bad, although we had club seats for the second game, so the options were a little better. You can tell what I go to games for!


Before the game on Sunday, we walked around the waterfront for a couple of hours. I was determined to wear the only pair of sandals I brought, even though I knew they wouldn't be good for walking around in. I think I may have jinxed the second game by wearing a Padres bandaid over my blister. Oops!

TGIF!

I’m so close to finishing my sweater. I just need to seam the sides (the shoulders and sleeves are done) and then add some ribbing around the neck and front placket. I can still do it. Right?!?!?!

We are leaving at the crack of dawn* tomorrow morning. This is not your normal sightseeing trip; it’s more of a baseball pilgrimage. My husband loves the Milwaukee Brewers, and they are having a great year. Unfortunately, since our move away from Chicago we are no longer a short 2-hour drive away from Milwaukee.

So we are traveling to San Diego to see the Brewers play on Saturday and Sunday, and then we are heading back to San Francisco on Sunday evening. Hopefully, we can squeeze some of the sights in… a whirlwind tour at the least!

I’m not really a baseball fan, but I definitely enjoy the atmosphere, people and food. Plus, Joel is really excited, so it should be fun. They are also playing three games in San Francisco in August… you know where we’ll be then.


We had the day off on Wednesday, and so we decided to go to Alcatraz. It was really interesting.


Alcatraz is swarming with birds. I’ve developed something of a bird phobia, as I seem to be a magnet for bird poop. I can normally be seen running for cover anytime there is a flock of birds flying overhead. Wouldn’t you know it? Right before we left, one got my jacket. Pretty soon, I won’t be able to bring myself to go outdoors anymore!


* I normally consider anytime before 6am “the crack of dawn”, and we need to catch a 7:30am flight, so I’m sure you can feel my pain.

Making Progress

I'm still holding out hope that my sweater will be finished in time for our trip. I finished the back Friday night, but didn't work on it much over the weekend. Last night I cast on for the front, and finished a few inches...


but I still have quite a bit to go. I'll see how many inches I can add tonight.

The yarn is a really nice blend of pima cotton and silk. It's a mix of colors I wouldn't normally go for... kind of a salmon, dusty mauve/purple and light khaki mix... but I really like it anyway. I'm making a small size because all of my other cotton sweater have really stretched out, but I'm starting to worry that it will be too small.

We spent a little time in the East Bay this weekend, and on the way back we stopped on Treasure Island. I've always been curious to check it out. There wasn't too much to see, but the view of San Francisco is great.


Aside from knitting, I have a new obsession. I first had this tea at my office, and it is so good.


It's hard to get excited about tea, but this Sweet & Spicy Tea is amazing. It's a really flavorful red tea, and the name says it all. Plus, it smells delicious. I pictured myself searching all over for it, but found it at Traders Joe's.

I realize the weather is probably getting hot everywhere else, but it's chilly here. At least I can still enjoy a cup of hot tea!

Eat, Drink & Be Merry

I am so happy that it's Friday, and my weekend has begun. I have been feeling sleep deprived all week, and now I can finally catch up. It's pretty rare that I ever get enough sleep. I've always enjoyed staying up late, and I have a hard time getting to bed at a decent hour.

In addition to sleeping, I'm hoping to get a lot of knitting done this weekend. We are going to San Diego next weekend, and earlier this week I started thinking how nice it would be to have a new sweater to wear. A hand-knit sweater.

I realize that I am most likely totally deluding myself that this will be finished by next weekend, but I am still optimistic at this point. Things in my favor: cap sleeves, heavy worsted yarn and a super simple pattern. What's working against me is the lack of time and the fact that this sweater will need to be seamed.

I'm still holding out hope though. I'm almost to the armholes on the back, and it should progress quickly after that. I have a day off in the middle of next week as well. Cross your fingers for me!

I'm slightly embarrassed to say that we are still not completely unpacked from our move in February. For the most part we are done, but this apartment is so small that we seem to have run out of space to put things. There are still a few pictures to be hung as well.

The sign in the second photo used to hang in our dining room, but in our new apartment the kitchen and dining/living room are one big room. There really isn't a good wall to hang it on. We finally decided to hang it from the ceiling. That will be my other weekend project.

Taking It All In

After a couple weekends devoted to watching Footballer's Wives (which devolves pretty quickly from fun/trashy to just plain stupid), our last few weekends have been spent enjoying our new city and surrounding areas. Last weekend we tried some new restaurants and went to our favorite local bakery. Yum!

We also went to Moss Beach, which was really interesting. During low tide you can walk out on the reef--we saw lots of hermit crabs, plants, mussels and one star fish. Sea lions also hang out there. By the time we turned around and started heading back toward our car, the tide was really high. We went around a corner and there were about 20 of them on the beach within about 50 feet of us. That is the closest I will probably ever come to a sea lion. It was a little scary!

I've made some progress on my scarf...


I'd say it's about half done, maybe a little less. It's actually a fast moving project--when I'm knitting on it that is! I should be able to wear this year round with the cool weather we have here. As summer approaches, it seems to be getting cooler. So strange!

Slow Going

For a while there, I felt like I was turning out completed projects left and right. But now that I have a job again, I remember why I didn't get as much knitting done before. It's not really that I have less time, although that is true. It's more like a lack of motivation--my inner couch potato is returning--and a bit of knitter's ennui.

I know this won't last, but lately I have been more interested in thinking about knitting than actually picking up needles. I've been going through my books, and I picked up a couple new ones, too.


I have been eyeing both of these books for a while, and I finally gave in and bought them. The first, domiknitrix, is a really interesting book visually. Each page is like a little piece of art. It has lots of instruction and not just the basics, so it will make a good reference.

1. The Slink, 2. Swizzle Vest, 3. Bob Dobbs Vest, 4. City Coat

Some of the patterns are a little crazy, but there are some good ones, too. My favorite is the City Coat. Joel wants me to make him the Bob Dobbs vest, but I want to make sure he'll actually wear it before investing hours in it.

1. Rowena Cardigan, 2. Pimlico Shrug, 3. Peapod Cardigan, 4. Luxe Neck Warmer, 5. House Slippers, 6. Baby Cape

Knit 2 Together is the other book, and Tracy Ullman is a co-author. I find it really interesting that she is a knitter, and it sounds like she really knows what she's doing, too. This book has so many cute patterns--above are just a few of my favorites. I really love the Rowena and Pea Pod Cardigans. I even like the slippers, and normally I think knitted slippers are tacky.

Now I just need to take Tracey's advice to, "Go Home!! Go home! And knit."

Up Next...

I've never been much of a swatcher. I do swatch, but I usually only knit a couple of inches, and that's it. Swatching is one of my least favorite parts of knitting, mostly because I become very impatient to start the project. Needless to say, I never block my swatches as many people recommend... until now.

I'm working on a silk lace scarf, and I knew that I wouldn't get a good idea of the end result without doing a proper swatch. So I knit a little more than usual (still not a full 4 inches though!) and then blocked it. You can really tell the difference between what's on the needles and what the end result will be. As you can see, I need to practice my blocking technique. It's a little wonky!

This is my first lace project, and it's really simple. I hope I don't make too many mistakes though, because I really hate ripping back when yarn-overs are involved.

I also picked up some yarn to make the U-Neck Vest from Fitted Knits. I've wanted to make a vest for a while, and I think this will be a good pattern. The yarn is Cascade 222 Quattro, and it's really pretty. It's not quite as bright as in the photo.

This (and all the other projects I have going!) should keep me busy for a while.

A Finished Pair of Mitts

The mitts are finally complete. I really only spent a few days working on them, but those few days seemed to be dragged out over a couple of weeks.



Pattern: Dashing from Knitty.com
Yarn: Mountain Colors Twizzle
Needles: US6 DPNs

This was a fun pattern, and if I had knit consistently on them, they would have been finished in a few days. The yarn was great to work with--so soft and the colors are beautiful. It's generally pretty chilly here, so these are perfect. I'd like to make a pair for myself at some point, but I would definitely make them shorter if I did. They are very long on me.

My husband is happy as well. Believe it or not, this is the first thing I've knit for him. I'm a selfish knitter! There is a much promised sweater in the works, but I haven't worked on it for quite a while. Hopefully, these will keep him happy for a while.