A whole lot of movies

Blogger sucks. It's not letting me upload pictures so I can't show what I've been working on.

Instead I will entertain you with the oh so exciting details of my weekend. It's either this or one of those 40 questions meme/chain-mail thingies.

It's seems that the running theme for my weekend was "Movie Night". Friday started with a plan to go out to dinner but ended in a night with some friends watching Lucky Number Slevin which gave me new appreciation for Josh Harnett.

Saturday was a Movie Night with some friends from my days in Rochester. It seems that almost everyone has relocated to Raleigh. The movie of the night was The Break-up. I didn't get to see the whole movie because there were cats in the house and my allergies went into overdrive. I'm going to add it to my Netflix list. Vince Vaughn is hilarious.

Yesterday I further indulged my current obsession of old black & white films. Older films have a great sense of originality and the fashion is wonderful. Last week it was Strangers On A Train and this week it was Sunset Blvd. If you haven't already seen these two movies, then you definitely should.

A quick note

Firstly, thanks for all the comments. I haven't had time to respond. My brother has started leaving comments. He's the only family member that does. My girl Aisha says she's going to start knitting too. Yeah! I've converted another one!

If you asked a question I'll try to respond this weekend.

I don't have any pics today because I haven't really made much progress on anything. Hopefully I will Monday.

Now for the big question. Is anyone going to Stitches East in Baltimore next week?
I paid for a class and the student banquet but I'm not too excited about it right now. Maybe because I can't spend any real money while I'm there and I don't know anyone that is going. I will get a chance to see my godchild while I'm in the vicinity. Did I forget to mention that I officially have a god-son now. Little EJ was born October 15 at 6:36pm. I can't wait to see him. I don't know that I'll have time to do anything else.
Hopefully I can see a few friends while I'm there.

Cuervo & Cardigans

Cuervo

The birthday party I went to Friday was interesting. Very interesting. Let's just say that Jose Cuervo was invited to the party and every bad drinking story I've ever heard starts with Jose's name in the first few sentences. That's why I have a few rules when it comes to drinking....

1. Know your limits
2. Jose is not your friend.

Stick with these and you'll never go wrong.

I had the pleasure of going straight home in a sober state after 1 or 2 beers but I can't say that everyone else was as lucky.


Cardigans

I've decided that I want to make a cardigan out of my Rowan Yorkshire Tweed and I don't want to design a thing. I just want to knit. The few things I'm working on right now are for others and I need something for me that doesn't take a lot of forethought and planning.

I poured over all my magazines and books, looking for the perfect pattern. There weren't' many that fit the bill or didn't have to be altered. I finally settled on this one.



It's a Kim Zimmerman cardigan from the Winter 05/06 Vogue Knitting. I'm going to lenghten it but I'm glad I found something that I like.

It's been one of those weeks

Have you ever had one of those days that just runs away from you? Well, I've had one of those weeks. Where you don't think you have that much going on until you add in travel time in the car, when you'll eat, etc. Then factor in the crazy insomnia that I have. I'm soooooo tired and tomorrow I have work, a birthday party, shopping for a gift for the party, and a volunteering event with the Girl Scouts with my company on Saturday. Ugh!

The only knitting I got done this week was a swatch I did while waiting to go to a NBA basketball game on the UNC campus. The Washington Wizards played the Charlotte Bobcats. This will probably be the highlight of my month since I won't see men this sexy for months.
If anyone knows Etan Thomas (of the Wizards) personally and he's not married, you can tell him he can find me in Raleigh. I need all of that delicious man candy in my life.


And this package is the reason I haven't ordered from KnitPicks in ages.


I order this package on October 4th. I did not received it until the 18th. I'm not sure what mule's back they put this on, but I don't know of any mailing option that takes 14 days. What's in this package is of no consequence. It took so long to get here that I don't even want it anymore. It's going back in the mail this weekend.

The business of things

For me, it's always been about designing and the finished product. When I learned to sew, my goal was to get to the end so that I could wear what I just made. Process meant nothing. As I grew in my sewing skills, my mother pointed out that I need to focus on how the inside looked, just as much as I did on the outside. The seams needed to be clean. My linings needed to be straight. While I hated to hear it, I knew she was right. In order to be professional, I needed to take the time to do everything correctly and not rush. I'm trying to apply the same concept to all things, including my knitting and business.




This weekend I broke my "anti-book buying" habit and invested in The Knitting Answer Book . While it covers some of the same things as the legendary knitting bible, it has quite a few things it doesn't, all of which will help me get better in my techniques. Plus it's size makes it easier to carry with me.


Another thing I did was stock up on office and organizational supplies.



While at my favorite LYS this weekend, I mentioned that I make and sell patterns. She asked if I ever wholesaled any of my patterns. I had never really thought about it. It got me thinking about the whole business side of things, which is not my favorite subject, but an unavoidable one. She wants me to bring in my patterns to possibly sell, which is a good opportunity, but sent my need to get organized into high gear.



To soothe my anxieties about business topics, I bought yarn. Awwww, the calming affects of new yarn. The shop owner has added a lot of new yarns to the store including Aurora 8, Malabrigo, and Cleakheaton. All of these things that I before had to order online. Now I can go into a store and see them before I buy. I walked away with some Aurora 8 for a new project and some Lang Yarns Mille Colori yarn. The Mille Colori has a striping affect similiar to Noro yarns.

I even started on something that I think will be someone's Christmas present.

If you are a member of my family, DON'T LOOK!

( mouse over to see)

Shock & Awe

Did you see Grey's Anatomy last night? I was in the process of making myself something to eat when I watched the first 7 minutes. Needless to say I wasn't hungry after that. (I won't ruin it for those that haven't watched it yet.) It was about as bad as last season's "pink mist" incident.


I've spent the last few days just trying to finish up my book submission and work on my socks. Since I've decided not to show any more socks until they are a finished pair, I have nothing to show. Maybe I'll have something to show on Monday. Until then have a great weekend!

I might be going crazy

I'm about to do something so sensible that I think I maybe going insane.


I bought all of this yarn which arrived at my doorstep Saturday. I love Aurora 4. Luv it. The problem is that none of the colors are what I expected. They are all darker than they looked website of the store I ordered from. If I had checked the Karabella site I would have seen the true color. Too bad I didn't think of that first.

I've been thinking that I could make it work but I would definitely have to return the blue. But the more I think about it, the more disappointed I get. I love the yarn and was trying to make it work in my mind but it's not. Now comes the crazy. I am going to return all of it. Crazy I tell you, just crazy!

What tipped my hand?



All of the other projects that I want to work on. Subtraction in this case is much better than addition.

The magic

I got the urge to start something new and different last week. Sweaters and socks just weren't meeting my needs. I needed something outside my usual. I opted for the Swallowtail Shawl from the Interweave mag. The plan was just to start it and then put it down until November to finish it. What I didn't know is that there is some magic to the making of a shawl.

It's interesting how something that starts with 3 stitches can work it's way to this.



The way it grows is intriguing. After a few hours I didn't think I had much but I was half way through. I will say that the closer you get to the end the longer it takes. 230+ stitches is a lot more than you think. Overall the pattern was easy as long I paid close attention, but there were some purl-5-togethers that were a pain.

It's a very pretty shawl and I think the recipient will like it. I'm not one to wear shawls but I do think, in the future, they will be great for gift-giving.


Short-row trick

For those that have asked, if I get some good daylight this week, I'll take some pic to show my short-row trick.

Sock HerStory

Lolly has initiated a round of storytelling. The story which we must tell is the history of our sock-making. I prefer to think of it as "her-story" and not history. So here is my sock her-story.


* When did you start making socks? Did you teach yourself or were you taught by a friend or relative? or in a class?

My mother first started making socks and I didn't see the big deal in it. Making socks seemed like a wasted and expensive effort. It wasn't until I came across a pair of socks Wendy made that peaked my interest. I liked the yarn and with that yarn the only thing you could really make were socks.


* What was your first pair? How have they "held up" over time?

I started my first pair of socks at my sister's graduation in June 2005. I read a few tutorials and gave it a go. Short row heel footies. I finished one didn't like the holes in my sock so I never finished that pair.

My first finished pair were out of some Knitpicks yarn my secret pal Sarah gave me (the red socks below). The are comfy and warm and have held up well. The yarn does tend to pill though.




* What would you have done differently?
I still had holes in the heel so I practiced my short rows on scrap yarn. I came up with my own little trick to eliminate the holes.

* Which kind of heel do you prefer? (flap? or short-row?)
Short-row definitely. I like that it looks more like a store-bought sock. I don't like picking up stitches, so heel flaps are not an option.


* What yarns have you particularly enjoyed?
I like Claudia's Handpainted (the brown footies above) and Knitpicks sock yarn. I really like the colorways of Koigu but I'm not so in love with the yarn itself.

* Do you like to crochet your socks? or knit them on DPNs, 2 circulars, or using the Magic Loop method?
I don't crochet much so definitely no crochet socks. I tried 2 circulars but stumbled upon the magic loop method by accident. I like working with dpns most. I'm trying some bamboo dpns but prefer the Bryspun plastics.


* How many pairs have you made?

I haven't made many pairs but last year's Socktoberfest really got me going. I've made 7 pairs total. I've made the 4 pairs pictured above. This pair out of some self-striping yarn I dyed myself.


One pair for my sister for Christmas


And this pair that I just finished for my G-ma

I mailed these off yesterday so I'm hoping that she'll like them.

I've even started another pair for her but these will be for Christmas.



And here's one more pic just for Gray La Gran. She bought the same Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport at the LYS and wanted to know how it knits up.



It has a great feel and will definitely be warm. Lorna's Laces is known for it's flash and pool effect. It looks like a swirl that snakes up the sock which isn't too bad.

Happy Monday

Hey there e'rebody. Happy Monday. I have just a few more days of sick leave and then it's back to work for me.

My latest pattern is up at MagKnits.

It's the Susy tunic/vest.



I named it after Audrey Hepburn's character in Wait Until Dark . She wore some nice sweaters in that movie and I was watching this while I was making it.