Somewhere along the way I seem to have lost sight of myself. I think lately I've just let all of the hassles of everyday life get me down without stopping to enjoy the good things. I've been stressed out over writing report cards, having teacher conferences, driving through traffic, dealing with lines at the grocery store, etcetera etcetera etcetera. There are a lot of little stresses that we all deal with each day and we let ourselves get hung up on them. Don't pretend you don't; you know it's true.
I think today I have begun the journey back to who I really am. Why am I waxing poetic all of a sudden, you ask? Well, I finally got roped into going back to yoga. And I hemmed and hawed and dug in my heels and tried to avoid it. But guess what? It was really what I needed to get back on track. Yoga is apparently my little window of sanity in an insane world.
But let's not go overboard with the healthy lifestyle thing. I'm still going to crack open a bottle of wine tonight.
Previous Title: Barenaked Ladies, "If I Had a Million Dollars
1.25.2007
1.22.2007
You always wanted a monkey
I'm not really this quick of a knitter, but I have another pair of socks to show you.
Specs:
Pattern: Monkey from Knitty
Needles: US 2
Yarn: Socks that Rock in Puck's Mishief, medium-weight
Pattern Notes: Like all of Cookie's patterns that I've had the pleasure of knitting, this one is well-written and easy to follow. I found that I was able to memorize the chart after only a few repeats. I did make some modification though to allow for a heavier weight of yarn than the pattern calls for. I turned it into a 14 stitch repeat and I eliminated rounds 8 and 9 of the pattern to make this work. I don't think the design looks all that different, but the socks are just my size. I have narrow feet, so this solution may make them too skinny for anyone else's feet. And check it out - the socks actually match! No dye lot issues! Hooray for one big skein (instead of two little ones)!
Previous Title: Our Lady Peace, "Made of Steel"
Specs:
Pattern: Monkey from Knitty
Needles: US 2
Yarn: Socks that Rock in Puck's Mishief, medium-weight
Pattern Notes: Like all of Cookie's patterns that I've had the pleasure of knitting, this one is well-written and easy to follow. I found that I was able to memorize the chart after only a few repeats. I did make some modification though to allow for a heavier weight of yarn than the pattern calls for. I turned it into a 14 stitch repeat and I eliminated rounds 8 and 9 of the pattern to make this work. I don't think the design looks all that different, but the socks are just my size. I have narrow feet, so this solution may make them too skinny for anyone else's feet. And check it out - the socks actually match! No dye lot issues! Hooray for one big skein (instead of two little ones)!
Previous Title: Our Lady Peace, "Made of Steel"
1.21.2007
Hold your head high, don't look down
I finished these bad boys a while ago, but haven't gotten around to posting them - shocker, I know! At any rate, may I present the "Don't Look Down" socks.
Specs:
Pattern: Giotto by Amelia Raitte
Needles: US 1
Yarn: Lorna's Laces in Baltic Sea colorway
Pattern Notes: There was a time while knitting these socks that I would have sworn they were going to be my favorites. The yarn color is beautiful and the pattern is stunning, but apparently I have no made a huge mistake - AGAIN! I guess I forgot to check the dye lot on these guys, because they're so different they almost look like two different colorways. I can't believe I did this once, let alone twice!
In efforts to avoid this problem in the near future, I've more recently been working with Socks that Rock from the stash since it's all from the same skein. I'll still wear my Giotto socks, but I'm disappointed that they don't really match. Maybe I'll have an actual MATCHING pair of socks to show off later this week.
Previous Title: The Killers, "Indie Rock & Roll"
Specs:
Pattern: Giotto by Amelia Raitte
Needles: US 1
Yarn: Lorna's Laces in Baltic Sea colorway
Pattern Notes: There was a time while knitting these socks that I would have sworn they were going to be my favorites. The yarn color is beautiful and the pattern is stunning, but apparently I have no made a huge mistake - AGAIN! I guess I forgot to check the dye lot on these guys, because they're so different they almost look like two different colorways. I can't believe I did this once, let alone twice!
In efforts to avoid this problem in the near future, I've more recently been working with Socks that Rock from the stash since it's all from the same skein. I'll still wear my Giotto socks, but I'm disappointed that they don't really match. Maybe I'll have an actual MATCHING pair of socks to show off later this week.
Previous Title: The Killers, "Indie Rock & Roll"
1.07.2007
Man I'll freak you out
I've officially been tagged by my Dirty Knitter partner-in-crime, Craft Junkie. So, without further ado, I give you 6 weird things about me:
1. I can reach all the way around my head and touch my ear. That is, using my right hand I can reach around my head and touch my right ear. Using my left hand, I can reach around and touch my left ear. Go ahead, try it. Can't do it, can you? Aren't you just a little jealous now?
2. My big toe is the same length as my pinkie finger. I can't explain why I find this intriguing, I just do.
3. I tell my mother everything, but then I get mad at her when she meddles. It seems counter-intuitive, I know, and every time she gets too involved I try to stop telling her everything, but I can't help myself.
4. I am an aggressive driver. I like to honk and I get pissed off easily while driving. I especially get annoyed when people honk at me, which again seems a little unfair given that I enjoy honking at others.
5. I have enormous feet. I wear a size 11 narrow. It's very hard to find shoes that fit comfortably, but this is actually a good thing. I think that if it was easy to find shoes in my size, I might need a second apartment just to hold all of the shoes. I am slightly in love with buying shoes.
6. I find it impossible to buy gifts until the very last minute. It's an annoying habit that I've tried so hard to break but I just can't do it. I might start looking for a Chrismukkah gift (yes, I did in fact google that to check the spelling) in November, but I am absolutely incapable of purchasing anything until December 20th at the earliest. I think I have this paranoia that I'll find something better if I wait just a little longer. Despite this problem, I've been told that I'm an excellent gift-giver. I have no idea how I manage to pull this off.
So there you have it folks, six weird things about me.
Also, I have a little eye candy for you. I finished a project!
Specs:
Pattern: Backyard Leaves scarf by Annie Modesitt, from IK Holiday 2006
Needles: US 7
Yarn: Knit Picks Wool of the Andes in Avocado, 3 skeins
Pattern Notes: This was an entertaining knit. I found it easy to follow the pattern, but it does take a lot of concentration. Every so often I got lost in the chart, but it was fairly simple to find my way back. I found it helpful to highlight every other row to make it easier to keep my place. Also, I blocked it by ironing with the wool setting. It was pretty amazing to watch it grow and flatten out. Blocking it might have been my favorite part! This is a gift for my secret pal, but I really like it and wouldn't mind having one for myself. I guess that's the sign of a really great gift!
Previous title: ACDC, "Back in Black"
1. I can reach all the way around my head and touch my ear. That is, using my right hand I can reach around my head and touch my right ear. Using my left hand, I can reach around and touch my left ear. Go ahead, try it. Can't do it, can you? Aren't you just a little jealous now?
2. My big toe is the same length as my pinkie finger. I can't explain why I find this intriguing, I just do.
3. I tell my mother everything, but then I get mad at her when she meddles. It seems counter-intuitive, I know, and every time she gets too involved I try to stop telling her everything, but I can't help myself.
4. I am an aggressive driver. I like to honk and I get pissed off easily while driving. I especially get annoyed when people honk at me, which again seems a little unfair given that I enjoy honking at others.
5. I have enormous feet. I wear a size 11 narrow. It's very hard to find shoes that fit comfortably, but this is actually a good thing. I think that if it was easy to find shoes in my size, I might need a second apartment just to hold all of the shoes. I am slightly in love with buying shoes.
6. I find it impossible to buy gifts until the very last minute. It's an annoying habit that I've tried so hard to break but I just can't do it. I might start looking for a Chrismukkah gift (yes, I did in fact google that to check the spelling) in November, but I am absolutely incapable of purchasing anything until December 20th at the earliest. I think I have this paranoia that I'll find something better if I wait just a little longer. Despite this problem, I've been told that I'm an excellent gift-giver. I have no idea how I manage to pull this off.
So there you have it folks, six weird things about me.
Also, I have a little eye candy for you. I finished a project!
Specs:
Pattern: Backyard Leaves scarf by Annie Modesitt, from IK Holiday 2006
Needles: US 7
Yarn: Knit Picks Wool of the Andes in Avocado, 3 skeins
Pattern Notes: This was an entertaining knit. I found it easy to follow the pattern, but it does take a lot of concentration. Every so often I got lost in the chart, but it was fairly simple to find my way back. I found it helpful to highlight every other row to make it easier to keep my place. Also, I blocked it by ironing with the wool setting. It was pretty amazing to watch it grow and flatten out. Blocking it might have been my favorite part! This is a gift for my secret pal, but I really like it and wouldn't mind having one for myself. I guess that's the sign of a really great gift!
Previous title: ACDC, "Back in Black"
1.04.2007
I've been too long, I'm glad to be back
I was looking back in my archives for December and I realized that I only got in three posts over the whole month. I'm going to try to be more consistent in January. But when January comes to an end, please don't remind me that I said that.
You would think that with all of this non-blogging time, I'd have lots of knitting projects to show you. Not quite. It seems that I have been forgetting to take pictures of FOs. Well, here's what I do have to show you:
Those are two pairs of gift socks. Both have been gifted and were well-received. Score!
Specs - socks on the left:
Pattern: Baudelaire from Knitty
Needles: US 1
Yarn: Koigu KPPPM in color P451
Pattern Notes: I can't get enough of this pattern. Cookie is the best!
Specs - socks on the right:
Pattern: Elfine Socks from Amelia Raitte (click on "Fashion for Free")
Needles: US 1
Yarn: Koigu KPPPM in color P538
Pattern Notes: Elfine is another great pattern. Fun to knit AND well-written. One small problem though - it's not your imagination. The sock on the right is indeed more blue while the sock on the left is more yellow. Apparently I forgot to check the dye lot when I bought this yarn. Ah, well, that's the beauty of a hand-knit gift I guess. I'm sure the recipient of these socks won't be too bothered by it.
I also have a second SP9 gift to show off. Look what I found in my mailbox yesterday:
Thanks for the chocolate goodies and the Chibi. I'm always losing my needles, so this will be very handy.
And finally, for any non-knitters still hanging out around these parts, take a look at this little guy:
That's my favorite nephew. Well, my favorite non-human nephew. Also, he's not really my nephew, but somehow I became "Auntie Rachel" when this guy showed up, so I'll just call him my nephew. It's only fair. Please disregard the chest hair peeking out from his jacket. He is apparently going through a John Travolta/Saturday Night Fever phase. Happy Thursday - and happy ALMOST FINALLY Friday!
Previous title: Michael Buble, "Feeling Good"
You would think that with all of this non-blogging time, I'd have lots of knitting projects to show you. Not quite. It seems that I have been forgetting to take pictures of FOs. Well, here's what I do have to show you:
Those are two pairs of gift socks. Both have been gifted and were well-received. Score!
Specs - socks on the left:
Pattern: Baudelaire from Knitty
Needles: US 1
Yarn: Koigu KPPPM in color P451
Pattern Notes: I can't get enough of this pattern. Cookie is the best!
Specs - socks on the right:
Pattern: Elfine Socks from Amelia Raitte (click on "Fashion for Free")
Needles: US 1
Yarn: Koigu KPPPM in color P538
Pattern Notes: Elfine is another great pattern. Fun to knit AND well-written. One small problem though - it's not your imagination. The sock on the right is indeed more blue while the sock on the left is more yellow. Apparently I forgot to check the dye lot when I bought this yarn. Ah, well, that's the beauty of a hand-knit gift I guess. I'm sure the recipient of these socks won't be too bothered by it.
I also have a second SP9 gift to show off. Look what I found in my mailbox yesterday:
Thanks for the chocolate goodies and the Chibi. I'm always losing my needles, so this will be very handy.
And finally, for any non-knitters still hanging out around these parts, take a look at this little guy:
That's my favorite nephew. Well, my favorite non-human nephew. Also, he's not really my nephew, but somehow I became "Auntie Rachel" when this guy showed up, so I'll just call him my nephew. It's only fair. Please disregard the chest hair peeking out from his jacket. He is apparently going through a John Travolta/Saturday Night Fever phase. Happy Thursday - and happy ALMOST FINALLY Friday!
Previous title: Michael Buble, "Feeling Good"
1.01.2007
It's a new dawn, it's a new day . . . and I'm feeling good
Okay, so a little editing out was needed to keep the title short on this one. Happy 2007 everyone! I'm still here, just been crazy busy as always. I've been finishing up my Harvard application (sent!), my holiday knitting (complete and mostly gifted already!), and visiting friends and family. It's nice to be back home, but I REALLY don't want to go back to work tomorrow. I'm sure that's what everyone's thinking right about now, so I'll try to keep my whining to a minimum. I have some fun FOs to share, but I'm going to save that for later this week. Until then, enjoy playing with all of your new gifts and eating all of those leftover chocolates and cookies and other treats, because you know you're going to, no matter what your New Year's Resolution was about. Happy Holidays!
Previous title: Queen, "Killer Queen"
Previous title: Queen, "Killer Queen"
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