Through the Back Loop

Thank You Ms. Patella.

2005-07-27T16:42:00.000-04:00

Even though we called you "The Kneecap" all through Senior English, and made fun of your polyester pants suits matched ever so carefully to your eyeshadow, you taught us well.

You are a MASTER of the English language!

Huzzah. While your English is not exactly
perfect, you are still more grammatically
correct than just about every American. Others
admire the way you speak and could learn a lot
from listening to you. Still, there is always
room for improvement...

How grammatically correct are you? (Revised with answer key)
brought to you by Quizilla

Another New Project

2005-07-24T09:39:00.000-04:00

Because I haven't started enough of them lately...I bought some Den-M-Knit off Elann (color=Dark Indigo) since I can't control myself, and I love me some Rowan, I also bought Denim People. I started Picot, which can be seen on the woman below.

I've heard some mumbling and unfavorable reviews of this year in the netiverse, and I'll have to disagree. Suprising, considering I hate cotton!! But there it is. It's comfortable, I'm sure it will be durable as all hell, and it's just cool to make clothes out of indigo dyed cotton. My swatch did bleed rather enthusiastically, and my needles are already blue one ball in (*and that cast on's a BITCH*) but such is the price we pay. Off to 1) try to get some pictures, and 2) Search for a knit along to keep me motivated...

An Unusual Aside

2005-07-19T15:15:00.000-04:00

Most people that know me in every day life would probably be pretty suprised that I tend to refrain from social & political discourse on this blog- I am a person of strongly held opinions. But that's never been the purpose for this site, and I think people expect that they will see knitting content- mostly they do. However, today a friend sent me a link to a website called We're Not Afraid. It was created in response to the recent bombings in London and I am prtty impressed with the message. You'll see a new button over there, that-a-way --->

I couldn't always post this button. I wasn't as directly influenced by the September 11, 2001 events as some people- I didn't loose anyone personally. But I was more connected than most of the people I was around at the time and it was very isolating for me. I grew up in the shadow of NYC, and could see the skyline from my bedroom window. Like a lot of kids in my hometown, one of my parents worked in Manhattan. My dad, in my case, worked for an insurance company all his life, in midtown. His mother worked there before him. My fifth grade class trip (it was our "graduation" trip- in our town 6th grade is midddle school) was to the top of the WTC towers. My favorite place on the ENTIRE PLANET is the New York Museum of Natural History (yes I am still a science geek :) ) and I spent most of high school sneaking into the city with & without permission for one reason or another. A city the size of New York creates it's own gravity, shared vocabulary ("the city" means Manhattan ONLY), common experiences. It was part of my life, and I grew up with it.

I also grew up suburban middle class and travelled once to Canada. I went to college, a large state university, where I was indoctrinated into the -isms that go along with multiculturalism. It was as natural as breathing to a kid from North Jersey, where you were the minority if you weren't Puerto Rican or Italian. When you grew up 8 blocks from Paterson, a town that still hadn't really recovered from the race riots of the late 60s. My world-view was artifically broadened by my education, but that was unusual for our town & area. People with money owned Plumbing Businesses and lived on the hill. I spoke what halting Spanish I learned in high school, and the Italian I picked up from friends' parents. I was sheltered. I felt safe, I felt carefree, I felt like a citizen of my town, maybe NJ, possibly the US, but certainly not the world.

I got married in July 2001, and moved in late August to San Diego, CA. Then 9/11 happened. As I said before, I was lucky enough not to loose anyone personally, but my hometown & the area I grew up in was in shock. The first edition of my alumni newsletter came with a list of dead. My hometown newspaper, 14 pages for a busy week, mourned the area dead. Parents of aquiantances, people a few years ahead of me in high school I recognized by name only, people my father used to work with that I never met but had heard about for years. A family friend who was a PAPD Officer lost count of funerals he went to. And I was in San Diego. The grad students in the program kept asking me "aren't you glad you are out here?" The idea was ludicrous, I WANTED TO GO HOME. I had fantasies about handing out cups of water at Ground Zero, I carried my best friend from high school's picture with me 24-7 (he's a fire fighter in a town close to the city.) Nothing and no one around me seemed to care, after that morning. Campus never closed for the day.

After a few weeks, mourning over the event seemed to be strictly controlled by the far right, politically. You said "God Bless America," (translated as "Jesus bless the temporary magnet on my SUV") and prayed for the troops. What you were supposed to do as an atheist from Jersey, who knows... What I did was drop off into a depression that was an echo of what happened after my mother died. I couldn't sleep. We lived 3 miles from Miramar and Camp Pendleton, and every flyover (and there were a lot of them) sent me into panic attacks. I quit grad school and eventually got some treatment. I got a job, and found my way back. My poor husband got the worse before the better, but he never wavered. Four years later, we live one town over from where we grew up. The NY skyline still looks funny. But life went on, and I am happy and so is he.

My heart goes out to the people of the UK. So many of them will be influenced by these events and not know what to do. I hope it is easier for them than it was for me. But after all this time, there is one thing I know for sure. I will NOT allow anyone to make me afraid. I will not look differently at the person next to me on the plane. I will not stop living, and laughing and loving. I refuse to give a single second of time for people who think their cause, whatever it may be, is worth killing people over. Life is too short to allow anyone with those methods a platform.

All that Prodigal Crap Aside...

2005-07-18T11:10:00.000-04:00

I'm back. Crazy busy, but back. Many photos, some FO's, some new projects, it's all happening. First, the Baby Dragon Hoodie that is for my plant manager. Actually, it is for her baby, which I now discover is actually TWINS!!! I'm not making another Dragon Hoodie, (it's not the pattern, which rules, as everything Marnie MacLean does seems to, but me, as I HATE instarsia.) I had hoped that this project might teach me to learn to love weaving in ends, and other intarsia oddities. But no. Fair Isle=OK. Intarsia=Icky. Ah well... Said ends:

It is Lamb's Pride in Limeade and some other color I lost the ball band to ages ago. The back, with it's uber-cute "backbone" crocheted on...

And the Front, without the zipper. I am considering not adding the zipper. 1) I am sick of this project and 2) They live in Charlotte, NC. It is hot there, even in October.

I've also purchased this, which will become Rogue #2 for me. It is Peruvian Highland Wool from Elann, in blueberry (which I have been referring to since high school as "school-color-blue." It's been 11 years. I can almost face the color again LOL.)

I've already done one, loved the pattern. But it came out too small because I did not measure myself and underestimated the liklihood of my ability to remain alive in Arctic waters. In any case, it is now property of my old college roommate, who is married to my best friend from high school. We really aren't close enough to make her a sweater, but she's a seamstress, and it might help to thaw the waters a bit. Anyway. Also for me, because I am a glutton...

That's the beginning of Mariah, in Knitpicks Wool of the Andes Mist, which is steel grey. The photo's actually not bad color-wise. I'm liking the pattern so far, no changes.

Last but not least, since I promised FO's, here is the completed Shapely Tank. Also a great pattern. Done in Noro Shinano. Yes, I know it's an odd yarn choice for a tank top. But This yarn could not decide what to become and now that it is something, it will stay :) Ball or two left, though, so no idea what to do with the rest. Ah well...

Hey Man...My Work's Down the Drain

2005-06-27T21:00:00.000-04:00

Actually, work is not down the drain, it is completely out of control. Summer is busy season for the construction industry, and that includes product reps. I think I've been on three road trips since my last post. I also have gotten pathetically little knitting done. The Shapely Tank at White Lies Designs is going pretty well. I am using the Shinano that was being worked into the Chevron Tank (damnit I will get a tank out of this summer!)I've got the front done and the back part way through the armholes. (armscythes?) It is a GREAT pattern. Makes me wish her stuf was more my style- I'm a jeans n' T shirts kind of girl but maybe the lingere? (Did I spell that right? I am obviously killing too many brain cells with alcohol poisoning...) Anyway, underwear. :)

Picture coming when the tank's done...

A Finshed Object!!!

2005-06-07T10:39:00.000-04:00

OK, you already knew Dibs on Ribs was finished, but here's the pictures to prove it!

The entire sweater here. I changed a few things. The obvious- this is Silk Garden, not Kureyon. I cast on enough stitches for the bottom "tube" to make the largest size, in hope of getting a slightly longer sweater (that part is knit from side-to-side.) It partially worked, but the sweater is still slightly shorter than I would like. I also only made 3/4 length sleeves.

Here's the end of the sleeve. The knitted inserts here & at the bottom of the body were also changed- the pattern specified how many stitches to pick up but I just picked up as many as I felt necessary to prevent gapping or puckering. I'm glad, too, because I was not even close to the number they suggested. Bottom front here.

The neckline had a crochet edging which I did as written, 1 row single crochet, and one row reverse single crochet. I like the edging- I'd never done reverse single crochet, but I think it came out ok.

2005-06-03T15:45:00.000-04:00

I now have one of these...

It is loud and good.

That is all.

It is NOT my fault

2005-06-03T09:12:00.000-04:00

I took pictures of Dibs on Ribs. I even made my husband bring the good camera home from work so the pictures did not cause a permanent headache. He has not downloaded them & emailed them to me. I am almost finished with another project by now!!! Marnie MacLean, who has the absolute coolest patterns ever, has this dragon hoodie for a little kid here. It is too cute. I am done with all the pieces (although I think if I make this again I will do it top-down seamless except for the hood) but I still have to put in the 2nd arm, sew the hood together, and make & attach the spine & ears. I am making it for the plant manager at my office who has been trying to get pregnant forever. She rules & I am so happy for them!

Anyway. I have also pulled the Shinano out again, and given up on the Chevron tank. I still don't have the needles after the people in wherever I was at the time decided they were deadly weapons. So I am starting the shapely tank from White Lies Designs which I have wanted to do for a while. I got gauge, so off I go. I love her designs, even if most are a bit too girly for me- they are really well put together. I have just about used up 1 skein & am into the waist shaping.

And, I need to bitch for a moment. Our bathroom sink is clogged. Hard water & 60+ year old pipes- when we got the toilet plunger out, this black CRUD came out. I need to go to the store & buy some Draino or something, and I don't really feel like doing it. Our landlord is basically of the "I-don't-care-what-you-so-just-don't-burn-the-house-down" variety. Which is nice when I want to hang pictures, but difficult when something needs to be fixed. And I will not whine about things I know how to do, so I have to fix the stupid thing myself.

At least it's not the toilet in a 1 bathroom apartment, right?

I Wanted Everything...

2005-05-23T09:31:00.000-04:00

My secret pal RULES!!! In honor of the Ramones book I shamelessly begged for (hey, there was a question about books!!) see the above title of this post (which is a Ramones song for those of you who don't know) Not only did she send me all the astonishingly cool stuff you see (well, probably don't see, considering the quality of the photo) here, but she also sent me chocolate which did not even last long enough to photograph :)

Anyway, in addition to the Ramones book, I got some yarn bras- a concept my husband, who has apparantly regressed to adolescence, finds hilarious, a very cool stitch marker/row counter thingie which is displayed on my Dibs on Ribs sweater. (Aha! Sneaky...a wip photo along with my SP booty) I have been using it since I got it :) Also, did I mention the CHOCOLATE?

By the way, DoR is almost done. I am finishing the insert on the second sleeve, and just have the neck inserts left to do. Maybe I can get my juvenile husband to bring home his work camera again in honor of the upcoming FO Photo...

12XU

2005-05-17T17:27:00.000-04:00

Sorry for all the obscure song references...(Did Wire ever put out an albumn of their own? Everything I have is on some compilation or another...) Anyway. The X-Back is no more. Like everyone else on the X-Back Knit Along here my tank was like 9 sizes too big. I even swatched this time, but still... I swatched again, trying it with the same needles, in an attempt to determine that perhaps I was unable to measure the first swatch accurately. This came out to gauge. Ok. Maybe if I wash it? No dice- I did that too, it's still the same size. I am too discouraged to cast on all those stitches & begin knitting a too-large tank again. GRRRRR. Obviously this is not the pattern's fault, as many people have used it to produce a wearable object. I think I will try a different pattern, but in this yarn.

In other news, DoR is progressing quite quickly. However, I think I hit my first snag. Since I like longer sweaters, I made the bottom in the largest size- it is knit side to side, so I stopped when the circumference was right for me, and simply knit wider, which will translate to longer. To ease my paranoia at running out of yarn, I decided that three-quarter length sleeves would be just the thing.

I have ripped & re-done one side of the front 3 times now. I cast off, thinking it was finally right. It is not. The shoulders are short-rowed, but not the way shoulders usually are. Cutting length off the sleeves is not as straightforward at it appeared because I now no longer have enough length to make the short-rowing gradual.

I am avoiding a certain word I often use in frustration, but if you know me, you'll guess what I am thinking (and I didn't say it as much in public when we lived in Charlotte.)

This is Insanity, This could be the end. . .

2005-05-12T16:26:00.000-04:00

(10 points to whoever guess the relavance of the song lyric in the title to this entry LOL...)
I got this on Ebay, from the seller Yarnbow. (Great EBay transcation btw, THANKS!) The plan was to see if I could get gauge with Silk Garden instead of Kureyon for DoR (which is what I am calling Dibs-on-Ribs, see below :) ) and it worked out wonderfully! I am going to make it a little longer than the pattern and do three-quarter length sleeves because I am incapable of making anything as written LOL. Actually, this sweater is FLYING off the needles. (You realize, by the way, that I have totally just jinxed myself) I've got one side of the lower half done- the construction is kind of cool. The body below the yoke is knit side-to-side in two pieces. You start knitting in the center of the back, and work around to the center front. Then make a second identical piece. Seam them together & use the provisional cast on to work the inserts. The yoke is knit bottom up- you cast on the length of the sleeves and then pick up across the body, casting on again for the other sleeve. You knit up to the sholders, and do the same for the back. The shoulder seam actually extends down both arms...

Anyway, cool pattern. . . Pictures to follow soon. :)

A New Project (Just what I Need...)

2005-05-10T09:52:00.000-04:00

Dibs-on-Ribs, one of the subscriber only web patterns from the new IK. I am really liking this pattern! Having a bit of trouble getting gauge though- I tested with some of the Kureyon from Lady Elenor.

Cat Picture!!

2005-05-05T11:27:00.001-04:00

I promised Cat Pictures!!! We had Tiger in the basement the first week so he could escape the dog and get aquainted with his litter box. Now, he won't leave the basement! I feel like we are keeping him in the dungeon, but I promise, he's free to come & go as he wants now, he just doesn't want! I'm a bad kitty parent.... And no, that's not crud in his eyes & nose, he has freckles! I've never seen that on a cat before, I thought it was cute....He's 21 pounds!! (So he's on a diet)

Lady In Red (OK, on a red couch)

2005-05-05T11:18:00.000-04:00

The Lady Elenor Entrelac Shawl as it is at the moment. This yarn is IMPOSSIBLE to photograph- my husband finally brought his digital camera home from work, so it was too late for natural light. Anyway, the pattern is pretty simple, but the color changes in the Kureyon keep it interesting. Plus doing entrelac is somehow satisfying- everytime you finish a rectangle, you feel like you've accomplished something visible. Visually its not always my favorit look but knitting it is fun. Definitely teach yourself how to knit backwards though. Otherwise you spend all your time turning the thing! It helped me to think of it as "purling from the wrong side" rather than knitting backwards- when I knit backwards I get very confused about which way to insert the needle and wrap the yarn. Purling from the wrong side seems simpler...

1...2...3...Repeater

2005-04-26T17:20:00.000-04:00

OK. So it turns out that 50 does not divide evenly by 20 (Don't laugh at me!!) so I don't know whether this will be 30 more things, or 20 more things, to be contined by 10 more things eventually. :)

21. I love peanut butter flavored things but hate the way real peanut butter sticks to my tongue & the roof of my mouth.
22. I hate it when my food touches each other.
23. I paniced when I thought I lost my cell phone on a recent business trip. I am ashamed of my level of terror at the thought of this event. I could sit here trying to justify it, but that would probably make it even more pathetic.
24. My boss invited me & my husband to his son's wedding. I am not going because I don't really know them that well, and don't want to travel 700 miles to see this event. I realize this is not...politic...but I don't really care that much.
25. I used to do gymnastics competitvely, until I was about 15 or so. Then I grew a chest. This was rather upsetting to me at the time.
26. Despite having various shades of green, blue & purple hair in high school, I was a "joiner" at the time. I did stage crew for almost all the productions, played in every music ensemble, was a cheerleader (!), twirled baton, sang in chorus (badly!), did science league, was on yearbook staff, in the creative writing club, gifted & talented group, and a whole bunch of other stuff. Being involved in school activities was not "cool" where I grew up.
27. I didn't care what they thought, not even at 13.
28. Speaking of which, I hated New Kids on the Block.
29. I still don't like most pop music. Sting I can tolerate, although I think his level of musicianship elevates him above typical "pop." Also, I don't mind Billy Joel or Bruce Springsteen (I'm a sucker for a good songwriter with something to say, especially if they are talking about home) even though most people would call them pop if forced to choose a catagory.
30. That being said I think we have had Social Distortion stuck in permanent rotation on the CD players for the past 6 months. That & Ness' solo stuff, which I really like & didn't think I would because I have no country background. Then again, I guess rockabilly is where us old punks go to die LOL ;)
31. My upstairs neighbor leaves us all the junk mail addressed to occupant. Both copies. This really annoys me.
32. The smell of Hazelnut coffee makes me nauseous.
33. I fly a lot for work, but I still get a little nervous during takeoff and landing.
34. I almost always have a CD playing. The best thing about working from home is it doesn't matter if other people think my music is obnoxious.
35. I took a class as part of a requirement when I was doing my MS. The professor counted spelling on our quizzes, and I got an A- in the class. This blew the 4.0 I had for my MS. My undergrads called the same professor "Chucky" after the little psycho doll from the movies. After I heard this, I had a hard time looking at the guy with a straight face.

Paralell Lines...

2005-04-25T11:13:00.000-04:00

But not on this swatch! The offending stockinette..still by phone. I know the picture is terrible, but you can see what I am talking about, so deal with it :)

Well, It Ain't No Use in Sitting Wondering Why...

2005-04-25T10:49:00.000-04:00

I've got strange stitches going on here folks. I'm working on a slipper/sock type thing and I've noticed my stockinette is slanted. Not biased, no twisted stitches, just slanted. Instead of forming pretty "V" shapes, they form odd, non-symmetrical "\|" shapes. I know, I know, I need to find something else to worry about LOL. But considering how rententive I can be, that is unlikely. So...why does it do this? Anyone know? Possible relevant info: I knit English style, this is Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted- and yes, this problem is always more noticable in my knitting when I am using a single ply. I don't do anything odd relative to the way I wrap the yarn, etc. Ideas? Anyone?

Re: the cat- pictures to come. He's 21 POUNDS!!! He's definitley a big boy, and a talker. Right now he lives in the basement, give him some time to become aquainted with his litter box and avoid the dog.

Blue Jean, I Just Met a Girl Named...

2005-04-18T12:46:00.000-04:00

So I am almost through the first ball of ribbon yarn in the X-Back tank (color: Blue Jeans). I am also working through a KItty Pi bed I am trying to finish ASAP because this weekend we are taking home a cat! Hi name is Tiger and he is 13! He needed a good home, and we wanted a cat. I felt terrible about a 13 year old cat being up for adoption- so many people only want kittens. I will force my husband to bring home his digital camera that lives at work so I can post some pictures when we get him home.

Ugh. I am never moving again. I feel like we've moved 300 times- it's been 4 times in the last 4 years. And he's not even in the Marines anymore! Actually, it's my fault- the first move was for grad school, the second to escape a terrible apartment, the third after I left grad school, and the fourth to FINALLY get back to Jersey. Anyway, every time we move, some credit card, cell phone, etc. company forgets to send us bills. Then, after I realize it 2 months later, and call, they have the new address on file but apparantly the mail has eaten the bills on their way here. My husband just got a $300 cell phone bill, which is supposed to be paid for by his company, but since he has started this position (2 months+) they have no cut a single reimbursement check. Don't ever let anyone tell you working for a big company is better! I get mine from my tiny company in less than a week.

That being said I guess I should have bought a $500 amp a week or so ago but it sounds sooo sweet. Speaking of sounding sweet, we just make plans to go see Social D again (4th time this tour), and see B.B. King. I love living in civilization where concerts actually come. Keep your fingers crossed we can get Bruce tickets. Not likely given the size of the venues but...

Anyway. I took "Viking Patterns for Knitting" out of the library, along with "Knitting the Old Way" and "Knitting on the Edge." So far of the three, the first & third are on my list to buy. I haven't had time to even open "Knitting the Old Way," so we'll see about that one. I LOVE Elsebeth Lavold. I NEED to get some of her patterns & make them. Soon. "Knitting on the Edge" is inspirational. I have the "Knitter's Handy Book of Sweater Patterns" and combining the two makes me want to design more sweaters than I could knit in years!

It's been a while...

2005-04-15T13:50:00.000-04:00

I know, I know. It's been forever. Things have been a little crazy here, travel for work has really picked up. I don't mind the travel exactly, but I always miss being home if I'm gone for more than a day. I never sleep well on the road... Anyway. Yesterday a ex-boyfriend who is also an old friend of my husband called us out of the blue & dropped by. Now this was not a "casual ex." I dated him for almost 7 years- all through high school & college. After we broke up, we stayed friends (honestly) for a while, but when I started dating my husband, he stopped talking to us. A mutual friend's wedding almost a year ago now was the first we'd seen or heard from him in 6 years. Since he lives out of state, we hadn't seen him since. The story has a happy ending, but you know, it's just one of those odd social situations. I am exhausted. I am so glad that my life no longer has drama. At almost 30, you'd think we'd be done with that stuff :)

Anyway- as far as knitting goes, I am doing the usual- not finishing anything. Actually, that's a lie- we are adopting a cat soon & I made him the feline dim sum from Knitty's archives. It's catnip stuffed egg roll & dumpling. I used the Kool-Aid dyed wool from KnitPicks. But the Lady Elenor is still going, as is the seaweed stole. The Chevron Tank is on hold until I replace the needles I lost in airport security. I also started a Kitty Pi bed for our new cat. He's almost 13! We'll have him in a few weeks. Keep your fingers crossed my allergies don't freak.

I also started the X Back Tank in the new Knitty. It's a ribbon yarn, and I never thought I'd like knitting with it but it's pretty cool so far. I'm using a white ribbon that has blue binding thread. The color was called "Blue Jeans."

2005-04-04T14:45:00.000-04:00

Progress on the Seaweed Stole. It really is pretty, not that you can tell from this terrible pictures. The greens are kind of washed out here, so the contrast isn't as high between the greens & browns/blues in real life. This isn't even one repeat yet btw. I narrowed the stole- its sort of a large scarf now. In it's unblocked state it's about 16 inches wide.

Knitty SP4!

2005-04-04T11:06:00.000-04:00

I am so excited that the SP4 on Knitty has started. Some people were mentioning that they zipped off their questionnaire at warp speed, and couldn't remember what they wrote. I, on the other hand, noting how long it would be until we were assigned SP's and being ridiculously impatient, had to savor mine. The unfortunate side effect is that I have written a novella. :) Which I have included below, for your edification:

FACTS:
Knittyboard user name: in stitches
Real name: Carolyn
Webpage/blog URL if applicable: http://throughbackloop.blogspot.com
Shipping Preference: (Int'l/US/CAN/UK please specify): US, then Int’l.

KNITTING & FIBERS:
1. What is your current skill level (beginner/adv. beginner/intermediate etc.
etc): intermediate
2. What are your favorite fiber colors? Earth tones, greens, blues, browns. Warm things. Also greys, all shades of grey. I typically really like grey tweedy yarns. I am also a kureyon & silk garden fiend (paradoxically given my feelings about color. I do tend to choose the more… toned down colors.)
3. Are there any fiber colors you absolutely do NOT like? If so which? PINK. Not a big jewel color person. In certain yarns (kureyon, etc.) they are ok, but I /never/ wear them, and prefer earth tones. I also don’t do girly pastels. For instance, Elsebeth Lavold’s Cotton Patine colors are ok- they are not “girly” pastels.
4. What are your favorite fibers? Softer wool. Blends are ok, not a big mohair fan. Anything fluffy makes me sneeze. I do love alpaca as well. I love Lamb’s Pride Worsted & Bulky (single ply wool/mohair blends).
5. Do you have any unwelcome fibers (stuff you just don't need more of or like?) not so crazy about cotton, or cotton blends. The lack of elasticity hurts my hands. I also am not a novelty fiber (eyelash etc.) kind of person.
6. What is your Dream Yarn? Worsted weight, Tweedy wool, soft. Beautiful warm colors. I also really like single plys like Lamb’s Pride, etc.
7. How do you feel about novelty fibers (both the yarns and the items made with them)? Ick. Not a big fan of novelty fibers. Not my style at all. The items made with them are usually /way/ to loud for my sense of style (or lack thereof). (By this I am referring to novelty fibers from the perspective of strange scarf yarns that look like they sprouted something. I am actually intrigued by novelty fibers like soy, banana husk, llama, that sort of thing.)
8. What is the next thing you want to learn (techniques etc.) on the needles? More design stuff. I’d love to do an Aran from scratch of my own design, or spend more time with Elsebeth Lavold-style closed cables, using them in designs in a cool sort of way.
9. What item(s) do you knit the most? Hrm…sweaters I guess. I like hats but look terrible in them. Anything with cables. I love cables & texture pattens.

WANTS & NOTS:
10. Allergies: Do you have any food, fiber, smoke, pet allergies your SP should be aware of? Nothing to speak of…
11. Do you have an Amazon.com or knitpicks.com wishlist you'd like to share with your SP? If so please add the URL:
12. What is on your Cool Stuff Wishlist (knitting or not): Knitting: Debbie Bliss Noro books, Elsebeth Lavold Viking Knitting, a drop spindle & bits of roving to try spinning with, bamboo circs in worsted weight sweater type lengths, cute stitch markers. Non-Knitting: Anything with Lizards on it, travel size toiletries (I travel for work),
13. What about stuff you don't need at all?
14. Do you have hobbies other than knitting (tv, sports, collectibles, fave
things)? Music!! I play bass, clarinet, flute, tenor sax, piano & a bit of guitar. (Ok “playing piano” is being generous. Why oh why didn’t I take lessons at 6 when my parents could have forced me to stick to it? We have a piano, we both pick at it. I can play simple stuff- Fur Elise, etc.) My husband plays guitar, so obviously, we listen to a lot of music (Mostly old school punk & classic rock, but really, all over the map. Favorite Bands: Social Distortion, Mike Ness’ solo stuff, Brian Setzer, The Ramones, Bruce Springsteen, 50s & early 60s stuff like Chuck Berry, Gene Vincent, etc. Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, The Clash, many others…Also jazz…I am a big Miles Davis fan, and I love Dave Brubeck. Ella Fitzgerald & Billy Holiday are other good things. Only things I’m not big on are pop type stuff, dance music, rap, etc.) I read a lot. All sorts of stuff. I am a Tolkien freak (have been for many years…still forming an opinion about the movies but they have not been the “reason” for reading the books). I have a fresh-water aquarium. I have an English Bulldog named Jersey who is extremely spoiled. I love all things reptile, and used to do reptile rescue. My DH (who is a big tough former Marine LOL) is terrified of snakes... so no more reptiles for me. I love animals, especially the weird non-cuddly ones!
15. Books you would like (knitting or not): Non-knitting: Psychotic Reactions & Carburetor Dung, by Lester Bangs; On the Road with the Ramones, by Monte Melnick. (I have pretty much all the other books in the vein of these two.) Knitting: Viking Knits, by Elsebeth Lavold. I’m a big Debbie Bliss fan, but don’t have any of her pattern books (not interested in anything concentrating on the cotton blends- I just traded 13 balls of cotton cashmere I bought in an attempt to learn to love cotton.) Any of Alice Starmore’s fisherman stuff. I don’t own any EZ, either, although I’d say I subscribe mostly to her philosophy. The Debbie Bliss Noro books are high on my wish list at the moment as well.
16. For those of you who live outside the US, is there anything you'd like that you can't get your hands on? n/a, but if my SP is international, I’d love to have some things that they feel are emblematic of their home—little bits of foods that would travel & they could send, for example; or recipes, especially. When I moved away from home, it was the food I missed the most!
17. In the event your SP lives outside the US, is there a particular yarn,
etc. you can't find in the US? Nothing I am aware of that I am dying to have…

FAVORITES: Who/What is your favorite...
Chocolate: This is hard! Plain-ish chocolates...Just a good hunk o’quality chocolate. I love chocolate, a lot, so I try not to eat it unless it is the “good stuff.” Not a big hazelnut person. Also not a fan of filled chocolates.
Muppet: Beaker or Animal. Or Janice.
Flower: I have seasonal allergies. Most flowers make me sneeze. Not really a flower person. More a potted plant/herb garden type of person.
Ice Cream flavor: chocolate with peanut butter swirls. There used to be this limited edition Edie’s that was chocolate w/pb swirls & chocolate peanut butter cups. Mmm….
Fragrance: Something greenish, non-flowery, and that doesn’t make me sneeze (most perfumes do).
Shoes to wear: sneakers. Chuck Taylors, specifically. The old ones.
Type of garden: An herb garden, with basil & rosemary, among other treats. I love to eat, and fresh herbs are incredible in any recipe.
Animal: I love animals, so this is almost impossible to answer. The list, in no particular order:
Aldabra Tortise (like a Galapagos Tortise, really big)
My English Bulldog, named Jersey
Naked Mole Rats (I am not making this up, I have an MS in bio & studied under an animal behavior guy. Social Mammals are too cool for words.)
Any Cephalopod (octopus or squid)
Beverage: Pepsi, Beer. The beer list could go one, but includes many micro-brew & import type things. Anchor is a favorite brewery, as is Brooklyn.

RORSCHACH ETC:
19. If you were candy would you be sweet, sour, or cinnamon? Sour. Just to be difficult...
20. If you were a fruit which would you be? A Kiwi. The color is pretty, and no one thinks they will like them the first time they see them, but almost everyone does once they try them.
21. Are you a Java Junkie? No, but I’m a caffeinated soda junkie…
22. Your birthday, in case it falls during the swap and your SP wants to send
you a card: March 29.
23. Do you have a personal mantra?
24. How do you really feel about socks? How do I feel about Wearing them- always important. I am not a sandal person. Feet kind of gross me out. Knitting- I have three socks done. Problem is, all three are from a different pair LOL. Not my favorite project. Not the biggest fan of tiny gauges, dpns or magic loop/two circs, etc. I think it’s mostly the gauge that bugs me though. It seems like they /never/ get done.
25. What is your shoe size? US 9.
26. What kind of music (and/or which artists) do you listen to when you are
happy? Music is definitely not relegated to “happy only” in our house, but see list above. Probably the more up tempo stuff.
27. Rate yourself on a girly/fruh fruh factor from 1 - 10: 2. As in, not girly.
28. What languages do you speak (besides English)? A bit of Spanish, even less Italian.
29. If you could have any "super power" which would it be? The finishing things superpower. The extra patience super power. The always social adept super power.
30. You're given $10,000 for travelling. Where do you go and why?
That’s really hard. I might not go far- maybe do NYC in style! All the restaurants we can’t even dream of affording, etc. I love home, and when you’re from north Jersey, NYC is basically home. Otherwise, South Africa on Safari, or Galapagos? (The animal thing) Or maybe Italy (the food).

The tank...

2005-03-24T17:22:00.000-05:00

The tank has grown by approximately 2 inches. How exciting. Since I can't take any photos, I shall bore you with other details. Next week, I've got to go to Peabody, MA (that's pee-ba-dee to you) for work. I will meet with & train one of our distributors. This would all be wonderful, if I wasn't going by myself & knew someone I was meeting when I got there. I typically don't mind, but I will be there for my 29th birthday. Not exactly a fun way to spend it, alone in a hotel room.

I have been asked, speaking of birthdays, to provide a small list for the viewing public.

1. Psychotic Reactions & Carburetor Dung...by Lester Bangs.
The man actually understood the place of music in life. Which is to say, it is life.

2. On the Road with the Ramones...by Monte Melnick.
I have been saying for years that Monte should write a book. I grew up listening to these guys CONSTANTLY. I miss Joey. Voice of the generation I was 20 years too young to be in, but should've. Well, ok, him & Richard Hell. :)

3. Vibrators- Pure Mania.
One of those albumns I keep meaning to buy. We saw these guys at CBs recently. So cool that they still tour...

4. Mike Ness.
If anyone can actually get me Mike Ness, personally, just for me, I'd be forever greatful. Seriously. Words fail. Drool. Drool.

2005-03-23T10:38:00.000-05:00

So. The swatch for the rib tank, in Noro Shinano. The pattern calls for cotton, which I detest knitting with. It hurts my hands!!! But I traded some Cotton Cashmere for this yarn, so there is an odd sort of symmetry. The picture, which is still from my phone, in unimaginably bad. The yarn's much lighter, and the little color blobs are brighter than that. It's a garter-rib, and the "nubby-ness" of the yarn probably isn't the best for showing that off, but I like the look. In person. Oh well.

I am almost done with the first ball, and about 5" up the back of this tank. So this begs the question- what will I do with leftovers? Anyone know if Shinano felts?

2005-03-22T16:20:00.000-05:00

Elephant from Last Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson. I used Plymouth Baby Alpaca from my old LYS in Charlotte.

Camera's Still Dead

2005-03-22T16:02:00.000-05:00

So for anyone reading along, this remains a boring post. More WIP though. I started (and finished) the little elephant from List Minute Knitted Gifts. The book's by Joelle Hoverson, who owns Purl, in NYC. I really need to get to Purl & many of the other LYS in the city, and more locally here in Jersey & just haven't yet. Maybe I'll post a bad pic from my phone of the elephant, he's pretty cute. I also started the chevron tank from IK's website. It is one the PDF patterns they've got on there. I am using Noro Shinano, which is a wool/silk blend I traded for (gave away some Debbie Bliss Cotton Cashmere, which was great yarn but I still haven't learned to love knitting with cotton...)

I've also gotten started on a double knit large swatch to test out a nautical star motif I charted myself. If it comes out ok, I'll post the chart. Great for sweaters, etc. I want to do a matched pair, the nautical star & swallow, but that chart will obviously be a lot more complicated, so I'm putting it off...

The seaweed stole is on the back burner until I get the beads...

By Request....

2005-03-15T11:24:00.000-05:00

100 Things about me, Part I

1. I'm an Aries, born March 29, 1976. I think I am sort of a stereotypical Aries, but don't believe in astrology. I was born at 9:16PM.

2. I grew up in northern NJ, went to college in western MA, then came back. I studied biology.

3. I have a Master's Degree in Biology, and did my thesis on the evolution of mating systems & sex. Not as exciting as it sounds- I counted fruit flies. :) After that, I started my PhD at UCSD in San Diego, CA.

4. I had a lot of options for locations to do my PhD, but I might have chosen UCSD because of the weather & city, not the program itself. Needless to say, I didn't finish. I HATED the program there. I hated lab work. I had always thought of myself as a field biologist. UCSD disagreed. I should have gone to IU or UChicago, who did agree :).

5. Since I hated lab work, I got a job in a lab. Mostly because I wasn't qualified to do anything else.

6. My husband was along for the ride, from the MS on. We met in high school but were just friends at the time. We've known each other for 15 years or so, but been married for 3 1/2. He is a former Marine. While I am very proud of him for doing that, I'm glad the operative word is former.

7. I work from home now. I'm not particularly crazy about my job. I'm trying to do something about that.

8. I have a bulldog named Jersey. I spoil her rotten. She is my surrogate child, mostly because I am not that crazy about kids- I just don't enjoy them that much. Other people's kids are fine. Just not mine.

9. My husband feels the same way. I don't think either of us really wants to be grown up in the first place, so this is a good thing. If we ever do have children, we will adopt.

10. I think my biggest fault is a lack of patience.

11. I'm not very comfortable around people in general. I am actually very shy around new people, but once I know someone, I am the opposite. I am not good at reading people, or beng friendly to someone I don't know that well- it makes me very self-conscious.

12. I learned to knit when I was 8, from my mother. I thought knitting through the back loop was easier, and proceeded to do it that way until I was 24. I didn't knit much, so it didn't matter. I started knitting again after I left grad school, and was home all day looking for a job.

13. My grandparents lived downstairs from us, in a two family house. My mom worked, so I spent lots of time with them. My grandmother terrified everyone- she was loud & yelled a lot, but under it all, she was very loving. No one does anything right as far as she is concerned, but she will give you the world. My grandfather was always joking, and he sat on the front porch. When I was a teenager, I would go in the back door with my friends so he wouldn't talk to us. I am ashamed of that now.

14. I am an only child. My mom died of ovarian cancer when I was 18. My dad re-married and my stepmother has never had children. We get along really well.

15. My favorite colors are mostly earth tones, but I wear a lot of black. I'm not big on a lot of makeup or getting all dressed up.

16. I would really like to loose some weight, but I enjoy cooking and good food. I know some healthy food tastes good, but not much of it as far as I am concerned.

17. I have a 55 gallon fish tank in my home office, and I'm trying to re-establish it after the last move. It has 6 angelfish in it, and the ammonia concentration won't go above 0.25 ppm. This has gone on for over a month now. I'm thinking of adding more fish but I don't want to kill the angels.

18. I love animals. I cannot live without pets. The first apartment we had in CA was a six month lease, and we couldn't have pets. This was a serious problem. Before that, I don't think I ever lived without animals of one form or another.

19. I used to do reptile rescue. I don't anymore. It's exhausting because the only people that buy lizards are 12 year old boys (emotionally if not physically) who think it will be "cool." They get bored when they realize the animal is a lot of work, and by the time I get the animal, it's half-dead. It is difficult to remain polite to these brainless morons.

20. I grew up in NJ, which I have discovered means we tend to swear a lot more than other people. I worked in a small office in NC, and to keep the peace, my vocabulary became so edited I now say things like "oh poo," and "gosh." This irritates me. I'm glad to be back in NJ where four-letter words are acceptable in most social situations. The first time a man apologized for swearing in front of me I laughed in his face. I guess I shouldn't necessarily be happy about this, but sometimes a good string of curses really lets off some steam.

Broken &^#%$! Camera....

2005-03-15T10:29:00.000-05:00

Ok. So it's been a while. A long while. But I did not want to be guilty of publishing boring entries and my camera, alas, is no more. So I will have to be descriptive instead. The seaweed stole is on hold until the beads get here and I find or purchase an itsy bitsy crochet hook. Been working on the Lady Elanor Entrelac Stole from Scarf Style, using Noro Kureyon. It's a pretty green-purple-yellow-brown colorway, sort of fall like. Color 88, for those keeping track. It's about 10 inches long at the moment, and as my first foray into Entrelac, I'm liking it. Doesn't seem like the most flexible of techniques, but the stole/scarf thing is really pretty. The Kureyon is such a great yarn for this pattern.

Also, started Son of A.R.A.N., which is an aran of my own (with a lot of help from this page) design. I am using the pinkish red Kool Aid experimental yarn, which would have been another Rogue if the color had taken up evenly. All that stockinette in Rogue would have really highlighted the unevenness. (Is that a word?)

Also have a handwarmer from Last Minute Knitted Gifts on the needles. Pattern listed Cash Iroha (can you tell I am a Noro ho? LOL) and suprise, two skeins sitting in my stash. It's a traveling 2 x 2 rib that spirals around the handwarmer. Cute. One is done, the other has like 6 rows done. Maybe this will be like my attempt at socks last year. I finished 3 of them. All for my left foot!!!

Other than knitting, Jersey, our English Bulldog is sleeping on the futon in my office. While I am not really enjoying the working from home thing so far, it's nice being able to work with my dog!

So As it turns out...

2005-03-08T09:11:00.000-05:00

You are Mohair.
You are a warm and fuzzy type who works well with
others, doing your share without being too
weighty. You can be stubborn and absolutely
refuse to change your position once it is set,
but that's okay since you are good at covering
up your mistakes.

What kind of yarn are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

2005-03-06T15:50:00.000-05:00

The Tendrils...Only 8 more to go on this half of the stole.

Kool Aid, Seaweed, and other trials

2005-03-06T15:27:00.000-05:00

Today, I decided to try my hand at KoolAid dying. Rather literally, unfortunately. Considering that I have completed Rogue once, with an unfortunate error in measurement that caused the darn thing not to fit (my fault entirely), I recently got a batch of new yarn with which to re-do this beautiful. Check the pattern out at http://www.girlfromauntie.com/patterns/shop/rogue/detail.php if you haven't seen it yet. The designer is incredibly talented.

Anyway, I gave the smaller sweater to my college roommate, and bought some yarn from Knit Picks at http://www.knitpicks.com/Yarns/yarn_display.aspx?itemid=5420101 to use. Got the Wool of the Andes, in Natural White, and planned to dye my own. The yarn took up the Cherry KoolAid wonderfully. So did my hand. I look like I was on a hamster massacreing rampage ;)

I also just cast on for the Seaweed Stole from http://www.needlebeetle.com/lace/seaweed.htm. I've got four tendrils done.