Thursday, July 28, 2005

Smell my feet

Unsatisfied with my first pair of socks, I've decided to cast on for another. Couldn't find any sock yarn in my little stash so I dug out a skein of sport weight merino and googled the internet for sock-knitting tips. Since my kitchener toes were looking pretty shady, I decided to try the Figure-8 Cast On for a pair of magic loop toe-up socks. Bwa ha ha, wonky toes no more. I'm working these babies on Sz 0 needles to get a dense fabric and have a total CO st count of 60. Couldve' done away with 56, but hey, I ain't complaining. Now the pattern I'm using does not contain any extra umph to it, so I whipped out my Summer 2005 Interweave Knits for the lace chart used in the Padded Footlets. Since I'm knitting toe-up as opposed to top-down, my lace is reversed. Hence, the arrow signs. I like them this way too. I'm about 1.5 inches away from turning the heels, but I just gotta document my progress along the way so I can refer back later on for the other sock.
Right now I'm only knitting one sock on one circular needle, but for those of you who are interested in the 2 socks on 1 needle method, here's the link for it.
-- Casting for 2 socks on 1 circular needle
-- And a pattern by Barbara to get you started too!
Last but not least, how about a pair of these? Vintage Footlets, yum! *Edit: Check this page for pattern errata on the footlets.
Oh oh... so, question. What kind of sock yarns do you recommend for feet pampering? I know there's lots of variegated yarns, but I think lace shows up much better in solids. Suggestions please.... fire away. And much-ass grassy-ass (mucho gratias)

posted by winnie @ 10:48 PM 8Comments:

Wednesday, July 27, 2005

Giant Dish Cloth!

First of all, stripe knitting SUCKS ASS. *inhale... exhale*... May I present to you, TWO giant dish cloths. Yea, this is how far along I am on the Phildar sweater. And it has no shaping whatsoever. Do not be fooled by the slender edges of the pieces, it's just the yarn curling. And short rows on top with stripe sequence? Har har har... bazillion loose end hell. What have I gotten myself into? That's right, winnie, how very smart of you to do short rows AND switch yarns at the same time? *snicker snicker* I wanted to begin the sleeve knitting with tubular cast on, but at this point, screw it. Knitting 160 sts per row on sz 1 is just too, um, lovely, for words.

So, I've picked out my yarn for the Stitch Ya Neck Out scarf swap. And don't worry, yet-to-be-determined-SYNO-pal, it ain't black yarn. It's a most lovely maroon-brown 100% superfine merino yarn. Wanna know what they're destined to be? Click Here. Yup. I've wanted it since the first time I laid eyes on it, but the endless ribbing has kept me far far away. Oh don't get me wrong, I have no qualms about ribbing, but 100% ribbing? *ponders* hm, I'd take lace knitting any day over ribbing. I am looking forward to knitting some Backyard Leaves, or Ruffles, or even Branching Out from Knitty. I understand that the first two are very popular picks.. so fear not, cuz here's one happy volunteer who's dying to knit them for ya.

posted by winnie @ 1:25 AM 3Comments:

Tuesday, July 26, 2005

In lieu of knitting FOs..

So the Tagboard Message board that used to be on the left side bar is now no-more. I've been having problems with loading this page for the last two days and discovered that it was always that stupid Tagboard that gave me grief. Out it went. From now on, if you have anything to tell me, please leave a comment in my posts. This is to say that I do love reading your comments and hope the disappearance of that message board will not affect your visits.
Lovely Tara tagged me and here it goes...
10 years ago: wow, let me recall for a little bit. was still in indonesia, lived in a house with maids who tickled my feet in the morning in lieu of an alarm clock and ironed my undies (yes, you read that right, IRONED my undies) and didn't know how to cook - at all. trust me, i had to make an international call to my mom after moving to the States when i found out after fidgeting with the rice-cooker for 2 hours and still ended up with uncooked rice... "what?? you had to put water in the rice to cook it? what? really? i thought you just pressed a button and the rice would cook itself?!!")
5 years ago: know how to cook rice now. HA HA, i got the better of you, you punk-ass all-try-to-be-innocent-looking rice-cooker! no seriously, called home AGAIN and told my parents i'm quitting chemical engineering. "yes mom, they train us to be advanced plummers.. no mom, i really don't want to be a plummer.. okay mom, i'll tough it out.. hmph.. (and then of course, i enrolled in grad school. and in what major you ask? chemical engineering. um, yea, never say never)
1 year ago: signed myself up to event-coordinate a conference at honolulu. Yippeee! NOT. did i get to go outside and enjoy the beach? no. did i sun-bathe in my cute little bikini? no. i worked 12 hours every single day of that week, sitting in an air-conditioned office, OVERLOOKING THE OCEAN. and every time it rained outside and everyone at the beach scurried off to duck for cover, I SMIRKED. "YEA! If I don't get to enjoy Hawaii.. NONE OF YOU WILL!!!"... okay.. i probably just scared off half my readers. I'm not that bad a person, really.. i'm just bitter i went to hawaii for a week and DIDN'T GET ANY PLAY TIME!
YESTERDAY: (this is for you Tara) Constipated. as usual. Have you tried bananas? yup, don't work. Plum juice? Yup, been there done that. Fruit vinegar? oh hell yea. Milk? nah, i just feel even more bloated. Veggies? hm, is there such thing as too much fiber? cuz if there is, then i need to cut down on my veggie intake. Mango juice? .. okay... TMI.. but you get the idea.
TODAY: had to lay down the law with the newbies in the lab on how things should run in the lab.. MY WAY. no i'm not power-tripping.. ha ha, but it pays to have seniority side with me. Which reminds me, i need to graduate.
TOMORROW: galiantly march into the lab, turn on my computer, and read knittig blogs. and work, of course.
5 snacks I enjoy: peanut butter (yum!), nutella (chocolate hazelnut spread, yum!), japanese crackers (yum!), dried seaweed (yum! yum!... ha ha), crunchy almond cereal (a staple in my house, yum!)
5 bands/singers I like: This changes every now and then. Currently, MR. BIG is on heavy rotation (Paul Gilbert is pretty damn awesome), AC/DC, Marvin Gaye, Frou Frou, Fiona Apple
Things I would do with $100,000,000: Well I'd buy a house with big big windows in the suburbs with lots of fresh air and greenery, preferrably a whole forest so we can preserve some wildlife before we push them to extinction, build a humongous storage for yarn, tell my family that they have nothing to worry about for the rest of their lives cuz I'm disgustingly rich now and I'll take care of them, put the rest of the money in savings until I know what to do with it, and live a financially-stress-free life with ppl I love.
5 locations I'd like to run away to: Around the world. Hell, around the galaxy if there's no limitations. I might even get to shake hands and have a pint of good German beer with the aliens if I could.
5 bad habits that I have: cuss too much, smoke too much, and not have enough patience. that and i drool when i sleep. So, does pulling dutch covers on the bf count as a bad habit? it could be.. dare i say it, endearing? beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, right?
5 things I like doing: taking naps (really. just napping) with bf, knitting, playing with bf's dog, watching good movies and listening to good music.
5 things I would never wear: shoulder pads (right there with you Tara), spandex, thongs (really. i don't care how comfortable you say they are, they are not. panty lines? bring it on), high waist pants (come on) and bras which do NOTHING to keep nipply conditions undercover (yes, I'm modest that way)
5 TV shows I like: yea, TV. I don't have TV. what's on these days?
5 movies I like: currently, I am digging Butterfly Effect, The Jacket, Dangeous Beauty, Kill Bill, The Incredibles
5 famous people I'd like to meet: Hm, I'd really like to meet someone who can show me that time really is relative, and that ultimately we are all just big globs of energy balls who confine ourselves in the 3-D world. Name a person who can do that, and I'd surely like to introduce myself to him/her/it.
5 biggest joys of the moment: knitting, because the more I knit the more I know how much I actually don't know. I love a hobby that enables a life-long learning experience. Spending time with bf. Having friends I can talk to. Open communication with my mom. Knowing that I'll be done with grad school soon (crosses fingers)
5 favorite toys: All the nifty little tools that accompanies knitting, the internet (for it's wealth of knitting infos and knitting blogs), my new cheap-o digital camera (yes, finally), Motorola cellphone for it's Mini-Golf game, and ...well i guess i don't have enough toys then if i can't name 5

Okay, and now I'd like to pass the torch to Joy (because she's a sweetie), Andrea (because she comes up with interesting answers) and Natasha (because she was just recently thinking about life).

*Edit: Does anyone have a copy of "The Magic Loop" booklet for knitting socks? I am thinking about purchasing it online because I can't find any in my LYS. For those of you who own this booklet, is it worth the purchase? Or am I better off just googling sock patterns on magic loop on the internet?

posted by winnie @ 2:13 PM 7Comments:

Friday, July 22, 2005

The East Side / West Side Union

Remember my nervousness and excitement over meeting up with Joy and Andrea? It was supposed to happen at 2pm, but the greyhound didn't cooperate. Andrea and I had big plans to truck Joy around the LYS in LA, spanning from Universal City to Santa Monica and possibly even Hollywood. Unfortunately, Andrea had a class to attend and by the time I met up with Joy, it was too late to hit any yarn stores. But boy did Joy make up for lost time! The little lady brought us goody bags with sample yarns from Artfiber, munchies, and get this, a whole cake of cashmere yarn!! Speaking of which, Andrea, you and I need to meet up at UCLA some time next week so you can pick up your package. Any later, and I'll hoard your share too. Hee hee.
goods
Before meeting Joy, I was a bundle of nerves. Will she be as cool as she seems on her blog? Will it be awkward? Maybe I should bring my knitting so if it gets awkward then I'll just knit? What if I clam up and bore her to death? Oh my god I'm actually meeting up with ppl from the internet? Oh my god I sound like such a loser... you get the point. Well, the moment we met, we gave each other a big hug and surprisingly, my nervousness kinda melted away. I guess Joy has that effect on people. I didn't bring my camera, so y'all will have to wait to see our pic together on Joy's website at a later date. It was a hot humid night, so don't be surprised if we look a little frazzled with shiny foreheads. You've been warned. I had a really great time hanging out with Joy and her friends - Thomas the Ultimate Karaoke Machine, Sarah the Crafty Crochet Queen, and Eric the Fabu Decorator. Okay, I am just making up titles for them now, but that's my impression in a nutshell - all very cool people.
Joy wanted to know what I was working on right now, and it's Backyard Leaves from scarf style for my mom. I'm using sportweight yarn.. so hopefully it won't be too holey after blocking. Here's my progress so far..
backyard leaves
Enjoy your weekend y'all. I'm camping out at my bf's air-conditioned house.
*Edit: Here's the sweaty pic that I stole off Joy's blog. Har har.. I brightened it so you can see us a little better, although probably shinier too now that I look at it.
joy_me

posted by winnie @ 10:59 PM 5Comments:

Wednesday, July 20, 2005

Scarf-O-Mania

I've been slacking on Phildar Stripey....the endless stockinette is boring me to death..argh.. I am so not in the mood for big projects recently, so I've resorted to making scarves. Here is Leaf Cravat by Teva Durham, using sz 5 needles and a sport weight Baruffa Aerobic Yarn. Leaf Craveat
Let me tell ya, this sucker is LONG. I just kept knitting and knitting, and before you know it, it's 10 ft long! Ha ha.. Good thing it's uber-skinny, so I can just wrap and wrap and wrap. I'm also working on another scarf for my mom, but no pictures yet.
So remembered how I tried to steer my sister away from black, gray and white? She still wants gray. I've managed to talk her into adding another color, and guess what she wanted? Dark Olive Green. *shakes head* I give up. Here's her cabled armwarmer, using sz 7 circs and Cascade 220 yarn.Cabled Armwarmer
Since I'm in the mood for scarves and little pick-me-ups lately, I've signed on to Stitch Ya Neck Out. Check it out, we've got some awesome knitters in the swap. I've never knit for another fellow knitter before, so I'm a little nervous about having my knitting scrutinized. What if my swap pal thinks I am a horrible knitter? What if she thinks her scarf looks like crap? yea, self-doubts can be nerve-wrecking. Hopefully it will work out. The kick-off is early August. Go sign up like I did (at 3am in the freakin' morning when I was semi-delusional).
Supposed to be meeting Joy and Andrea in the afternoon. A little anxious, but a little excited nonetheless.

posted by winnie @ 11:51 AM 3Comments:

Wednesday, July 13, 2005

Sure you can have 'em

Amelia Hat #2
Meet Am_Hat#2. She is a 5 hour knit, and the results are pretty damn good if I may say so. I was knitting away happily when the following conversation ensued,
Mom: "Your granma would love that. She wears a beanie when she sleeps because the air-conditioning gives her headaches."
Me: "Um well, this was for me, but if granma needs it more than I do, I guess I can make myself another one later."
There you have it. Everyone needs an Amelia Earhart Hat. This one was made with just one ball of Baruffa Maratona (121 yds), with sz 7 needles for a snug fit. Wouldn't want the hat to fall off when granma sleeps, ja know.
Cabled Armwarmers
Next up is a cabled armwarmer, knitted with sz 7 circs using Magic Loop. Pattern by Savannahchik. It's just a sample for my sister's viewing pleasure so she sees what it's like and I'm expecting a decision on color choice soon so she can have them for her birthday present. I'm trying to steer her away from black, gray, and white. That's her closet y'all. No color. Sheesh. And thus, summer gift knitting begins.

posted by winnie @ 1:01 PM 7Comments:

Saturday, July 09, 2005

Memoirs of a Geisha (Sock)

Armed with a wealth of information from the Internets and support from my powerful allies - the sock knitters, I present my first sock. Not first pair of socks, just the first sock. Like all newbie sock knitters, I am now prancing around my apt at 2:00am no less, wearing one sock. And hot damn, taking pictures of your own foot without trembling like jello is hard work. Let me provide you with a verbal description - I'll spare you the visual on this one.
geisha sock
****Now.. imagine a dog pissing. Got it? Okay, now imagine the dog pissing, in the same position, but lying down (belly-up)on the floor. *****
That was the pose I had to take in order to provide my geisha sock for your viewing pleasure. You may now laugh....(30 secs later)... okay, that's enough laughing. Moving on..
Another mindless knitting project is a 7 ft monster that is the love-child of Crazy Aunt Purl. BF is moving to Canada and he needs a warm alpaca scarf around his neck soon, and a warm alpaca scarf he shall receive.
MAGIC SCARF
Okay, I shall now go to bed with one sock on foot, and an empty glass of wine. Happy weekend everyone!
Edit: The Geisha Sock has a fraternal twin!

geisha

posted by winnie @ 2:02 AM 6Comments:

Thursday, July 07, 2005

Can I knit socks?

So many knit-bloggers have posted pictures of their knitted socks.. and it's really tempting me. Unfortunately, I have a deadly dislike of dpn's. It's not that I can't do dpn's, I just don't like fiddling with so many needles at one time. I've been searching for sock knitting with the magic loop technique online, but haven't had luck finding step-by-step instructions for a long circular needle. Can anyone direct me to an available magic loop sock pattern ?
I managed to find some sock yarn on sale at the Yarn Garden, and bought the Regia 6-ply Crazy Color (05264) for $3 bucks a ball (I bought two). This is going to be my first attempt at knitting socks. Carolyn says that sock knitting is very addictive (exemplified by her growing collection of knitted socks in her blog), so I have to try it out. The intimidation of heel turning and gussets and insteps need to stop somewhere. And it stops here.
regia
And of course, the yarn buying doesn't stop there. Some days, a girl just wants to buy yarn, ya know? I was totally going to *look* for yarn for either (a). the Apricot Jacket, (b). Orangina, (c) Tivoli-T or (d). Clapo-2, but no... saw these fabulous Baruffa Maratonas for sale at 50% off. Did I buy yarn for the above-mentioned potential projects? No, of course, not. I bought 15 balls of yarn w/o any projects in mind. Now, hm, good thing they're worsted weight. Because ya know what? My Amelia Earhart hat was gifted to a friend and that gives me an excuse to make myself another one, and I have been wanting a pair of armwarmers for myself (in July, no less) for the longest time. Bwa ha ha... Okay.. so that's like... 4 balls worth of yarn. The other 11, is... most likely.. for this.. or a new Clap. We'll see... the possibilities are quite endless.
Baruffa Maratona
Now I know I am not being adventurous with trying out new yarn, but I know Baruffa Maratona, and I am in love with it's softness and warmth. This is the same yarn that I used for my Bella Paquita, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. Can't beat 100% Extrafine Merino baby.
Edit: Thanks for all the encouragements y'all. I did an extensive googling and found the following sites for knitting socks using one circular needle.
(1) http://www.twocatsandagirl.com/archives/001133.html
(2) http://webdesignsbybarb.com/tostetoes/onesockoneneedletoeup.htm
(3) http://stitchesofviolet.blogspot.com/2005/03/basketweave-ribbing-socks-pattern.html
(4) A generic sock pattern by Wendy

posted by winnie @ 5:53 PM 10Comments:

Friday, July 01, 2005

Requisite Boring Progress Shot

phildar back
Thanks to my fellow knit-bloggers who check me out from time to time, they've helped me figure out Phildar's French-glish instructions. Special shout-out to Mari, who, out of the kindess of her heart, sent me an email with row-by-row instructions of the brain-fart-inducing shoulder/neck shaping described previously. The more I looked at the length of the sweater, the more it looks like pajama to me. I've decided to crop it down a little bit (only 2"), so we'll see how this little stripey devil will turn out. Inspired by Tara's short-row shoulder shaping for her short-sleeved Vogue top , I've insanely decided to be a short-row follower. With help from Nona's "ask Nona" archives describing short-row shaping in detail, this Phildar stripey back currently has all its live stitches intact. Frankly, I have no idea what I am doing, but we'll soon find out when the grafting happens. If it comes out well, I'm keeping the top. But if my spontaneous idea of cropping the top by 2" turns out to be a disaster, I need to find me a shorter-torso buddy in a sz 4 to wear this baby.

posted by winnie @ 5:28 PM 2Comments: