Life is Sweet

New Yarn!

Well, I’ve actually had this yarn for two months, but it still feels new to me. I was visiting the East Coast and decided I had to stop at one shop (at least!). I chose The Yarn Lounge in Richmond, VA. What a great shop! It is located in a very charming part of town with lots of small, locally-owned boutiques and shops. The owner (and her dog) and an employee were busy at work on a rainy day. They were very friendly and had some beautiful yarn.

I chose to buy some Fleece Artist (pictured here). I divided it in half when I got home, and started working on the Coreolis Sock in Cat Bordhi’s new book “New Pathways for Sock Knitters.” I finished the first sock (picture coming soon, I promise!) and I had enough yarn to make it almost a knee-high! Wow. Thanks, Fleece Artist. And the colors, oh so pretty!

Movies!

It was a movie marathon weekend. Three of the four were on The Seattle Times Top 10 Movies of the Year

The Lives of Others (German with English subtitles): Before I saw it on the Top 10 list, a friend highly recommended this film. It takes place in 1984 Eastern Germany, before the Berlin wall came down. A local playwright becomes the subject of surveillance. It is an engrossing story that went on and on and on. While I appreciated the ending, the tale itself seemed to last forever. But perhaps I just wanted to get back to my knitting (which I could not do while reading subtitles).

Eastern Promises (English and Russian, with English subtitles): Oh, Naomi Watts. She is so watchable. But Viggo Mortensen stole the show with his Russian accent and sexy, tattoed body. You even get a 5+ minute scene in which his naked bod (penis included!) steals the show. It is an attempted murder scene, though, so not as much fun as it sounds. I was looking forward to this movie, but frankly, it was a bummer. The acting was brilliant, but the story was tragic and slow. But I did get some knitting done!

Ratatouille: Probably my favorite movie of the weekend. Another great film from Pixar. Since it is a Disney film, there is no mother. (What the hell is it with Disney and mothers?) Little Remy, the rat with a gourmet palate and a keen sense of adventure, made me almost love rodents. (If only they COULD cook!) This movie was fun from beginning to end, and really made me want to work in the kitchen.

Waitress: Not on the top 10 movies of the year list, but it was well worth the price of admission. I’m not a fan of pie, but this movie made me drool with all of the yummy pies being poured, sprinkled, mashed and baked. The characters had such a crisp appeal, just shy of realistic. I was delighted, and slightly disappointed, at the the main character’s reaction to her baby’s birth. No spoilers. But I would say this is a slightly sad story with more depth than your average chick flick. I loved it.

Crazy Aunt Purl

Better late than never … Crazy Aunt Purl was in Seattle in October for her big book tour, and I have proof! We were just late enough to miss her reading, but just in time to stand at the back of the line for a book signing. She is sweet as pie, just as you would expect. I very much wanted to give her wine and drink it with her, but alas, she was being rushed off to her next signing in Portland. Perhaps next time!

More pictures coming!

Merry Christmas to me — I got a new camera this year! I’m excited to say that, once I learn how to use it, I’ll be adding lots of new photos to my blog. I just finished all of the knitting on the Alpine Lace sweater. Just have to block and seam. I’ve also finished a baby sweater, a hat for my husband, and have started a new baby bolero. Soon I will be able to share all of the exciting details in pictures!

Another lace project

I’ve begun yet another lace sweater. This one is extremely easy, from the book “Lace Style” from Interweave Press.

The pattern called for a chunky-weight yarn. Yippee! Super-fast! I picked up some “Alpine Chunky 14-ply” by Naturally New Zealand Yarns (100% wool, 3.5 sts=1″ on US 9-10.5) at a brand spankin’ new store called “The Textile Arts Company” in Port Hadlock, WA. I would refer you to their web site, but it’s not quite ready yet. Nevertheless, if you are up for a short trip to that area, I would highly recommend stopping in. They have a fabulous selection already, even at only a few weeks old.

Even though the yarn is a bit on the scratchy side, I decided to go with 100% wool. It’s simply the most reliable fiber around. I know if will hold its shape, it won’t droop and look crappy after the first couple of wearings. I think it will work beautifully with this simple feather and fan lace pattern. I’m looking forward to displaying the finished results soon!

A sweater, complete

I finished my Blue Sky Alpaca sweater! Yippee! I actually finished it like two weeks ago, but it has taken me this long to write about it. It’s looking a little wrinkly in the photo. I was surprised that some of the crinkly-ness did not block out. Maybe on the next washing. The lace bit did not stretch out as much as I hoped, either. The last sweater I did with this lace pattern at the bottom was in bamboo, which drapes so beautifully. Alpaca and Silk is lovely, too, but much less drapey than bamboo.

Next post … my current project!

Bad hair

I remember an old co-worker/friend commenting that she had inherited her “bad hair” from her Mom. I didn’t think she had bad hair. As a matter of fact, she and I had very similar hair. Fast forward five years, I’m starting to get it. I have bad hair. I don’t know that I inherited it, but well, it’s just bad. It doesn’t do what I want it to. No matter how much product I use on it, it still gets all fly-away and won’t stay down. It’s limp. It has almost no body of its own. I kind of hate my hair.

So why a post about my hair? I know, and I don’t even include pictures. It’s stupid. But I just feel like bitching about it right now. I’m seeing my hair therapist tonight. I hope she can do some good. But frankly, she’s no miracle worker. She can only do so much. I want to get it chopped off. But then last night, my husband, who never says a word about my hair, started in about how he loves the length and don’t get it cut off. What? I had finally made up my mind. I was thinking Jodie Foster in “The Brave One.” Pretty damned short. Now, Mr. Silent on the Subject pipes up? I’m so confused now. I don’t know what to do.

Normally I would say, you know, don’t let anyone tell you what to do with your hair. But I tell him what to do with his hair all the time. Mostly it goes like this, “Jesus Christ, Rob! Go get your hair cut!” And he says, “Never!” And it goes on and on like that, until one day I come home and his hair is gone. Like a true defiant one, he never gets his hair trimmed, he gets it gone. He hates the process so much that he figures he might as well as lose as much of it as possible in one shot and not have to return to the chair for six months to a year.

Now why can’t I take that approach?

Ramsay is back

Chef Ramsay is back with Kitchen Nightmares. The show seems less dramatic; the only character you get to know is Ramsay. Since he moves to a different restaurant each week, you don’t get to know the people he is “helping.”

Nevertheless, like a bad train wreck, I can’t seem to look away. Last week’s episode, where he transformed “Dillons” in New York, made me wonder if I could ever eat in a restaurant that so recently was infested with cockroaches and rats. It made me sick to watch people eat at Dillons, even after the steam bath cleaning and new cutie-pie chef.

It is fun to see the restaurant staff’s reactions to Gordon. Almost makes me want to open a restaurant, run it into the ground, and beg for his help.

A new web site for knitters

One of our local Kitsap-area knitters has created a groovy new web site called America’s Knitting. Her site includes a searchable map of the US for yarn shops, a local spotlight on shops and designers, and much more! Don’t miss it!

Dad’s Cabled Scarf

Finally, a new pattern! I’m making this scarf for my Dad for his birthday. I’m using Alpaca with a Twist “Highlander” which is very soft and yummy. I bought it at Yorkshire Yarns. Great shop! Check it out, if you haven’t already. Okay, here is the pattern for this very easy, soft and yummy scarf!

Dad’s Cabled Scarf

Materials: 3 balls of Alpaca With a Twist “Highlander”
45% Baby Alpaca 45% Merino 8% Microfiber 2% Viscose
-or- approximately 435 yards of a worsted-weight yarn

Needles: Size 9 (us)

Other: Tapestry needle or crochet hook for securing ends.

Abbreviations/Patterns
Seed Stitch (SS): *K1, P1, repeat from * across row. On alternate row, knit the purls and purl the knits.

K: Knit P: Purl

C6B: “Cable six back,” slide the next 3 stitches onto a cable holder, hold to the back of work, knit the next 3 stitches, then knit the 3 stitches from cable holder.

C6F: “Cable six front,” slide the next 3 stitches onto a cable holder, hold to the front of work, knit the next 3 stitches, then knit the 3 stitches from cable holder.

Pattern

Using size us 9 needle, cast on 40 stitches.

Work in seed stitch for 10 rows. Then, begin pattern as follows:

Row 1 (and all odd-numbered rows): SS 5, K2, P6, K2, P10, K2, P6, K2, SS 5

Row 2: SS 5, P2, C6B, P2, K10, P2, C6F, P2, SS 5

Rows 4, 6, 10 & 12: SS 5, P2, K6, P2, K10, P2, K6, P2, SS 5

Row 8: SS 5, P2, C6F, P2, K10, P2, C6B, P2, SS 5

Repeat rows 1-12 until scarf is about 1-1/2 inches from desired length, or until yarn is near the end of last ball.

Finish last 10 rows in Seed Stitch. Cast off loosely in pattern. Secure all ends and block lightly.

Download printable pattern (Microsoft Word doc)