lest you feel abandoned.

i have abandoned no one!
i have just been busy with a new show, meetings for winter projects, and the store. , yes... and the election! it was, dare i say, fun. i was reading a lot of commentary and listening to bipartisan speculation about the forthcoming administration. it has been pretty interesting, not to mention historic.

i have also been knitting some gifts and finishing up projects that were languishing at 50%. i have a current favorite... mittens!

here are four projects for your enjoyment.


Yellow Harvest Mittens
designed by Mari Muinonen
published in Vogue Knitting, Fall 2008

knit in 1 skein Manos del Urguay 100% Wool (color X "topaz") purchased at K+S=B, on size US 6 and 7 DPNS.

started: september 11, 2008.
finished: november 3, 2008.

these were a lot of fun, and they look great. i blocked them after this picture was taken, and they are awesome.

charts were good. bobbles are fun to knit (who knew!) and i have only one complaint. the pattern tells you to work the decrease area in stockinette but if you want continuity on the mitten, you need to be using reverse stockinette. i followed the directions exactly and realized when i was done and had blocked them that i should have been a rebel and changed the pattern.

live and learn, but i still love them. this is a project for me obviously.


Super Mittens
designed by Margrit Lohrer
published in Weekend Kitting

knit in 1 skein Malabrigo Chunky (color 98 "Tuareg", 100% merino wool) purchased at Now and Then, on size US 10 DPNS.

started: october 29, 2008.
finished: october 30, 2008.

these are a gift. i want to keep them. not really. i don't wear much blue, but they are super squishy and soft and this yarn was a delight to knit. this project continues to reinforce my love for the book Weekend Knitting

i was given the book last year for christmas, and i have made 6 projects from it so far. two of those were sweaters. not bad considering how ADD i get about patterns.

i made a hat to go with the mittens. i will share it later in the week.


Baby Mittens
designed by Kaitlyn Wong
published at Sassy Stitches

knit in half a skein of Artful Yarns Serenade (color 6211 "Against All Odds" 70% pima cotton, 30% angora) purchased at K+S=B on size US 5 DPNs.

started: october 24, 2008.
finished october 26, 2008.

i knit these for Collin. i started them when my cousin told me she was headed to the hospital because i needed something else to focus on... a movie was not cutting it. i finished them the day after he was born and they went off in a little birthday gift package with a hat. more on that later.

i modified the pattern to use heavier yarn. the designer calls for fingering weight doubled. i used a "worsted" that i consider especially light.


"Beaded" Cable Mittens
designed by Shirl the Purl
published by Cabin Fever

knit in 2 skeins of Berroco Pure Merino ("kale" 100% superwash merino wool) purchased at K+S=B on size US 4 & 5 DPNS.

started: october 2, 2008.
finished: october 28, 2008.

these are a store model that is part of out holiday 2008 gifts display at the shop. they were fun to knit, and i love the color, but i think the mittens would have looked nicer in a wool that was a bit sticky and didn't have as much smoosh or softness.

i know, sacrilege to exchange looks for softness, but that is how i feel about it.

obviously the pattern is written to be beaded, but i decided to forgo beads because that is a technique many knitters have an artificial fear of trying.... and as a store model, it needs to appeal to the masses.

i also think these could be good for a man in a masculine color, and then the beads are going to be a no-go for most occasions.

looks out for more knitting updates later in the week.

tonight i have pledged to fix my mistakes in the shawl and get back to work on that thing. i really want to take it back to ohio on turkey day... even if i have longer, i feel anxious about it!

a few little things

not to leave you too disappointed that i have not shared my first finished object, i have two new ones i finished over the weekend. aside from the gathered pullover, which i have been neglecting, i will probably only have small projects until i am off the yarn diet because i am working from my stash, which is... well... full of small project amounts of yarn. the first...

Purl Beret
designed by Isabelle at Purl Soho
published on the purl bee blog

knit in Plymouth Happy Feet (1 skein color 06, 90% superwash wool, 10% nylon) purchased at K+S=B on size US 1 addi turbo circular needles.

started: january 22, 2008
finished: january 26, 2008

this was a a quick little knit. now if i could just knit my socks this quickly. i realized this was a whole sock worth of fingering weight yarn, so i wish i could be this focused and get a sock done with the same efficiency. alas, this was simpler than most sock, so it is no wonder it was faster.

i was also "project", rather than "process" knitting here. i enjoy going through the process of socks. i was just knitting this so i could wear it because i like the yarn and the pattern is cute.

i think i will modify a bit if i knit it again. i was knitting to the specified 7 stitches = 1 inch, and i think it is a little on the small side in terms of over all scale. of course, i have been wearing my very floppy Urchin beret, so in comparison this is much smaller.

also, i only steam blocked this to even out the stitches from the decreasing. i will probably wet block it over a dinner plate at some point to make it more beret-esque. what can i say? i go for the Little Match Girl look with my berets. (yes, i am well aware of the fact that the story is usually told with her bareheaded.)

my next stash project is a birthday gift for a friend who just celebrated her birthday while i was in tech for Life's a Dream. the details...

Fingerless Mitts
designed by Ann Budd
published in Weekend Knitting

knit in Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk (2 skeins color #8, 80% baby alpaca, 20% silk) on size US 6 needles.

started: january 26, 2008
finished: january 27, 2008

i like this pattern a lot. so much so that i plan to make a pair for myself from some Reynolds Rapture left in my stash (previously seen in the center squared hat and unseen sweater). it is simple, pretty, and fast.

on this pair i sewed up the side seam rather than doing the three needle bind off called for in the book because i sew a better looking seam than the 3 needle bind off creates.

i hope they fit. i have stupidly tiny hands, and i try everything on myself, so there is a good chance my friend will need a little more room. here's hoping that is not the case!

okay....
so i mentioned the show, and it is closing this weekend. i am a little sad to see it go. it is a good one, and i enjoy knowing it is out here running and people are watching it. so. go get a ticket local folks.

here is another picture to tempt you....



aren't they a good looking bunch? lindsay is wearing a stupid sexist veil for me, and theo grew that silly goatee just because i asked him to. and jim... well, he probably actually likes wearing the crown. go reward them for being good sports in the name of art.


Life's a Dream
by Pedro Calderon de la Barca
Adapted by John Barton and Adrian Mitchell
Directed by Alexander Strain
Produced by Journeymen Theater Ensemble
playing at Church Street Theater

cast: Maggie Glauber, Rex Daugherty, Eric Messner, Brian Crane, Theo Hadjimichael, Lindsay Haynes, Jim Jorgensen, Jesse Terrill, Andrew Vergara Retizos, and Mary C. Davis.

closing saturday february 2, 2008.

apples and oranges

i have lots of little things that don't really go together. so let's a have fruit salad blog post.

first, the cake.
no, no, no. there won't be a cake on the blog every week, but this one is special like S.'s cake last week. my pal D. at work got it for me because she didn't think i was working last week on my birthday. D. is great. she likes pretty, delicious things (and trying new things) and i think she likes sharing her discoveries as much as eating them. i own a previous act of D.'s generosity--a copy of an out-of-print sock pattern booklet from the 1940s calls "2 Needle Socks". i think this should accurately demonstrate the level of D.'s generosity.

at least it will to knitters.

anyway.
this is a Grande Mariner cake from Stella's Bakery in Rockville, Maryland. it is delicious. you should march out right now and get one.

second.
Rosey Grier's Needlepoint for Men. this is a real book. it came out in 1973. for those of you who, like me, were not walking this earth to know... Rosey was a football player in the 1960s. back when they were the Los Angeles Rams. go have a look-see. it is very amusing. i love books from the 70s. there is something about the "hipness" of them that is quaint.

like calling people "cats".

third.
i forgot to mention that i have a knitting profile running on the Knit + Stitch = Bliss blog. have i not mentioned that i am now running the blog for my LYS (and place of employment)? hm. well, i am. yes, i am a professional blogger now. go see my "Meet the Staff" profile here.

fourth.
i have been getting a lot of traffic to the blog from people googling the actors in my last show. i guess all i have to say about that is... hi, guys! but maybe it is wrong to assume they are googling themselves. i do it from time to time to see if i missed show reviews or the like. and i know at least one actor who proudly would tell anyone who would listen that he had 15 pages of listing in google. and that was 2 years ago, so he is probably up to more now. ha.

fifth.
at a local gift/variety store that sells yarn i saw a knitty.com Branching Out scarf knit in lace weight Malabrigo. i want to make that scarf, so i bought the yarn. now i can't get the eff-ing gauge to look like anything worth knitting. arrrrrgh! this is just random ranting. i'll get over it and knit something else from my Malabrigo

sixth.
Knit Lit is not a very good book. it should be, but i think the stories have all been edited to not really be stories, but rather those types of moments that you stop sharing and say "well, i guess you had to be there".

i think i could also be disappointed because reading about knitting is less fun than doing it. then why are blogs interesting?

and finally.
little to no knitting to report. i've been catching up on other aspects of my life. oh, who am i kidding... my sock is going in fits and starts. i keep eff-ing up the lace pattern by 1. getting cocky. 2. getting distracted. 3. drinking a 2nd beer while knitting.... which i guess is a combination of #1 and #2.

i'm halfway to the heel. maybe i'll have more to report after the weekend.

open!

last night i went to the opening of my show that is playing in Baltimore. thehairyape joined me, and it was a good time. pretty good opening night show. good audience. and so forth.

after the show we had tapas and sangria down the street from the theatre for my birthday. sangria seems to be my Official Birthday Drink. yum.

the picture is pink lilies and sunflowers that thehairyape gave me. aren't they pretty? he has good taste in flowers. maybe he should give lessons to the clueless men of the world who buy the same flowers over and over again for their mothers, partners, and female friends.

the show details....

Sight Unseen
by Donald Marguiles
playing at Everyman Theatre
now through October 7, 2007

Directed by Daniel De Raey
Featuring Deborah Hazlett, Paul Morella, Karen Novack, and Bob Rogerson.

Read more about the show here. Or buy your tickets here.

i'll post some pictures for your enjoyment soon.

august 30th in review

it was a good birthday.
it started with a breakfast meeting (that lasted until lunch) with a director i am really enjoying. then i went to work at the store where my work pals gave me unexpected presents and even sang! singing! wow.

after work my wonderful boss took S. and i for sangria. i had lots of voicemail and text messages when i got home from friends who are far away (like my cousin in ohio and former roommate out in LA.). the best thing though might be an email from my friend B. who i have not seen in almost 2 years since he moved to georgia.

all in all, a really good day. and now the photo roll....


Chocolate cake with chocolate mousse and marzipan filling and a marzipan top. yum.


seed stitch wash cloth with crocheted border from my pal S. who also gave me the cake! i'm so proud of S. she is an amazing knitter, and this is the first time she has used crochet in her projects!


orange skull wash cloth and oatmeal soap from my pal A. clearly she knows my knit style!


pretty earrings from my parents. when my cousin J. called me last night i told her about them, and i plan to wear them at her wedding. my mum is also giving me the present of a manicure/pedicure right before the wedding. J. and i joked about what color my nails could be. we ruled out blue and black. sheesh. talk about a "bridezilla". ha!


let there be light! the owl lamp is really cool and fits the old lamp's spot perfectly. note the cakes of rolled sock yarn beside the lamp. these are my etsy purchases. pretty, pretty!

the top down sweater is mere inches from being finished at the bottom (then i pick up sleeves) so progress will be shown soon!