Rainbow Chills

End of 2005

2005 will end tomorrow and I can hardly believe it.

Knitting:
Last year, I did a review of 2004 knitting and made some goals for 2005.

I didn't accomplish a single goal that I set. I finished the Bay tank and again didn't like the fit. I didn't knit any of the other sweaters/tanks I said I would. I have even more sock yarn, and I still have at least one single sock that I had last January. Fickle knitter, that's me.

Using that as a lesson, I'm not making any knitting goals for 2005. If you glance at the Finished Projects 2005 category, you can see what I did this year. The pictures chronicle 8 finished pairs of socks. This year, I also finished a pair of Dublin Bay socks in Cherry Tree Hill that don't have a picture, a pair of Wisonsin Winter Socks for my sister Cathy, and the Koigu socks I finished on Tuesday. I have also knit a number of single socks this year that I hope will soon have mates but since  hoping doesn't result in hand-knit socks, we'll see.

I knit a number of things for babies this year which is fitting. Both 2004 and 2005 brought new nieces into my life. As much as I love both Eve and Abigail, I'm hoping that 2006 is baby-free in my immediate family (unless my sister Cathy is ready to have another one but I don't think she is). Knitting for the kids keeps me really busy. I love making things for them.

I have loved hanging out at Loop since Spring 2005 and am so glad to have met the great folks who work and hang out there. Teaching sock classes and knitting samples has made me love knitting even more and has pushed me to become a better knitter.

Reading:
I set a goal to read 35 books in 2005 and far exceeded that goal. I finished 65 books and read 100+ pages of two others that I abandoned after a good effort. I really enjoyed reading series books (especially those intended for children) including Harry Potter, the Traveling Pants, Betsy-Tacy, the Ya-Yas, and The Chronicles of Narnia.

My favorite books that I read in 2005 were:

• The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber
• With by Donald Harrington
• Geek Love by Katherine Dunn
• Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters
• Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver

My reading goal for 2006 will be to read more books than I did in 2005. I really loved keeping track of the books I read in 2005 and intend to do so again this year. As always, you can see what I've read over at Bibliophil. My username is cms519.

Watching:
My favorite returning show in 2005 was Gilmore Girls. I'm still loving it! I also enjoyed season 2 of The L Word and am looking forward to the new season starting in a few weeks.

I enjoyed some great new shows in 2005 as well including Grey's Anatomy, Veronica Mars (which started in Fall 04 but I discovered this summer), How I Met Your Mother, and My Name is Earl.

Michelle and I watch many, many movies and I have decided that in 2006, I'd like to keep track of the movies we watch, both on the big screen and at home. I have no idea how many movies we watch or how often we watch our favorites. I have not found a system to track this so I may be doing it in a text document and I'm devising a system for indicating repeats, first times, and a rating system. Am I totally nutty? Why, yes, I am.

Living:
Blogging has it's ups and downs but overall, it has been a good experience in 2005. I'm glad to know you all are out there reading along. I appreciate your feedback on my knitting. I value your comments. Michelle and I are very grateful for your good wishes for us as we continue to find our footing with Michelle's health. We got good news yesterday that Michelle has qualified for a clinical trial and we're hopeful for successful treatment in 2006.

2005 has been a good year. I am enjoying winding down the year just hanging out at home with Michelle, watching tv on dvd, and knitting. I'll be back to regular life and blogging on Tuesday.

Happy New Year to you and yours.

Surprise socks

These socks were intended for Michelle (she loves purple) but they don't fit her (I don't know how that happened). So...surprise...new socks for me.

See the skein of Trekking XXL, color 100 on the table!

I offered to take out the toes and knit the foot longer so they would fit Michelle but she expressed concern about the depth of the heel so I'm going to keep them. I wore them all day yesterday and they held up very well and were very comfortable.

Specs:

Yarn: Trekking XXL, color Mauve

Yarn source: Loop

Needles: US1 Clover bamboo dpn

Pattern: just a basic stockinnette sock, 72 stitches, knit from the cuff down, a few rows of 2x2 ribbing at the cuff

Notes: I had a strange experience with the Trekking yarn. I started at the center of the ball and had at least four knots in the process of knitting the first sock. I found the yarn splitty and a little frustrating. I had a totally different experience with sock 2. I will take responsibility for it not being as splitty- perhaps I was compensating for the experience with sock 1 and being more careful with knitting. I don't know what to say about the knots though. I did not have a single knot in the knitting of the second sock.

The process of knitting sock 2 was so good that I picked up a ball of color 100 at Loop (from the sale bin at less than $9).

Here's a picture of the gusset. This picture showcases the new camera more than the sock. This is a picture using the close-up function. Love that stitch definition!

Christmas knitting:

Gifts finished: 1

Gifts to be knit: 2

Days remaining: 5

I'll give another hint about the recipients. The recipients are two girls and a boy. (The hint stinks because I have two sisters and a brother and two nieces and a nephew. Funny, huh?)

Christmas song of the day:

Then sped my thoughts to olden times
To the first of Christmases
When shepherds who were watching
Heard music in the fields
And they sat there and they marveled
Because they couldn't tell
Whether it were angels or the bright stars a singing

Noel- Christmas Eve 1913 from A Christmas Together, John Denver

Jaywalking

I was hanging out at Jody's on Saturday when I realized that this was going to happen:

I ran out of yarn. That length of yarn at the bottom right is all that was left. I needed to do 6 more pattern rounds and the toe. The skein is 450 yards so I don't know how this happened.

Bummer.

This is my third pair of socks with Tess' yarn. This is the second time I ran out of yarn. To be fair, the first pair are knee socks.

I pulled out the Broadripples (also knit with Tess') and the leftover yarn to compare:

The Jaywalkers are knit at a much tighter gauge (about 8.5 spi) than the Broadripples. The fabric is much more firm. Also, the cuffs are longer.

I debated between using the leftover Tess' from the Broadripples or using some blue Lang Jawoll from the Cloverleaf socks. I settled on the Tess'.

I took the toe out of sock 1, at Kim's suggestion (she was also at Jody's when I realized the yarn issue). I knit until the socks were at the same point (about halfway through the toe decreases) and then finished each one with the other Tess' yarn.

Side view:

While the finished socks look great and I enjoyed most of the knitting time, these socks came with a bit of drama. The first attempt was too tight, the last four hours of knitting gave me fits. I'm wearing them today. So far, so good. Hopefully they won't do anything stupid to annoy me further.

Specs:

Pattern: Jaywalker Socks, 84 stitch version

Pattern Source: Magknits, September 05

Pattern Designer: Kathy/ Grumperina

Knitalong host: Cara

Yarn: Tess' Super Sock yarn

Needles: US 1 Clover bamboo dpn

Finish date: December 11, 2005

No Day But Today

First the Culicue, then RENT.

Before blocking:

After blocking:

It's a smidge wrinkly because I had it folded in half.

Flat shot:

I wish I had better pictures to show you but (a.) our camera is decent but not great, (b.) it's grey and rainy out, (c.) our apartment doesn't get great natural light anyway.

The specs:

Pattern: Curlicue Coverlet for Baby by Oat Couture

Pattern Source: Loop Yarn

Yarn: Knit Picks Shine in cream, I bought 15 balls. I think I may have used about 10. Let me know if you plan on using this yarn to make this blanket and I'll look it up for you so you know how much to buy. It's advertised as sport weight but I think it's a bit thinner than sport.

Needles: size 5 Clover circular, I think

Dates: October 25, 2005-November 19, 2005

Notes: If I were to knit this again (and I expect I will) I would do a provisional cast on and graft or three needle bind-off sections 1 and 15. I'm not thrilled with the seam although it looks fine. I would also knit the wrapped stitches differently. The wrapped stitches on the center sections are a tiny bit looser than I'd like. I should have knitted them through the back loop, I think. Perhaps this is why I have not had as big of an issue with puckering as other folks.

Overall, the pattern was clearly written and easy to follow. By the third repeat of the edge sections, I didn't have to read every line of the pattern. By the 10th repeat of the edge sections, I felt confident although not bored. This project may seem intimidating but it really is not difficult. It's just complicated.

RENT:

I estimate that there were between 30 and 40 people in front of us when we arrived at the theater at 5:30. By the time they let us in the theater, the line was incredibly long and I was glad we arrived early. I don't think everyone got in. We got great seats on the end of a row, which was more comfortable for Michelle than the center seats we had for Harry Potter last week.

When the movie started with the actors lining up on a stage singing Seasons of Love, just as the second act of the play begins, I was simultaneously excited and worried. I was thrilled to finally be seeing this great musical on the big screen. But when the music started, I was keenly aware that I didn't have the thrill that I have gotten when the live music started all four times that I have seen the show. Would I like it? Would I be able to experience the movie as a seperate piece from the show?

I was won over fairly quickly. Some of the dialogue is spoken rather than sung but they didn't take out all of the rhyming and rhythm so it still feels somewhat musical. The six original cast members are fabulous, although they certainly look worse for the wear. Jesse L. Martin (Collins) looks like the 35 year old man that he is. Adam Pascal (Roger) looks like an aging rocker with bad hair but as soon as he started singing, I was happy. It is easy to notice that most of these folks are ten years older than Rosario Dawson (Mimi) who is 8 years older than the character she is playing. Wilson Jermaine Heredia is so fantastic as Angel that I wouldn't have cared if he shaved his head bald and pierced his eyelids. He is lovely to look at and full of energy. Idina Menzel (Maureen) is captivating though clearly not a movie actress. Her body looks much more like a regular person's than the other actresses we see on the big screen these days. There is little muscle tone in her arms. I couldn't take my eyes off of her though. Taye Diggs (Benny) and Anthony Rapp (Mark) give performances that are close enough to the original to be familiar but new enough to be fresh.

They have changed the timing slightly. Maureen's protest takes place two days after Christmas so what was the first act of the stage show now spans most of the week between Christmas and New Year's. The timing feels right on the big screen. On stage, you are so caught up in the magic of the performance that it seems okay that Collins and Angel fall in love and Angel becomes an integral part of the gang all in one night. On the big screen, it feels better for it to happen over a few days- more believable.

I liked Rosario Dawson as Mimi much more than I expected to like her. She doesn't have a strong singing voice but it is pleasant. Her face is weird to me but she is convincing as a junkie with those enormous eyes. The casting of Wayne Wilcox as Gordon at the Life Support meeting made me cry. I loved him so much as Marty on the Gilmore Girls. He does a great job in conveying vulverability.

Michelle and I cried, but not as much as the adolescent girl I saw sobbing in the lobby. Poor kid. I was surprised by the number of quite young people there. The folks next to us were high school students and I laughed to think that they were in 3rd grade or so when the musical debuted. RENT was such a big part of my college experience that it seems funny to me that people who are 10 years younger than me are fans.

Overall, two thumbs up. I anticipate Michelle and I seeing this in the movies again and I know we're both looking forward to it's DVD release. Enjoy!

Three fronts

I decided on Friday night that I would indeed try to finish the sweater in time to give the gift on Sunday. I finished the sleeves on Saturday evening around 8. At that point, I needed to knit one more front panel. I also had the back and the left front finished and I had started putting it all together.

I got about 2/3 of the way finished the right front and I said to Michelle, "I hope I have more yarn because I think I'm going to run out." She told me she'd look for a ball and the next thing I know, I hear, "Uh, Chris?" And then,  I'm looking at this:

Where did that other LEFT FRONT come from?? I have no idea. I have no recollection of knitting it! It wasn't with the other finished pieces. Oh, damn! I looked at Michelle, held up the front I was working on and said, "well, that's two hours of my life I'll never get back." Then I ripped the shaping out of left front #2 and made it a right front. Michelle ripped the third front piece the yarn from which I knit the picot edging beginning at 6 AM on Sunday morning.

Before blocking:

And after:

I steamed it by ironing over a wet towel. Michelle's mom gave us a steamer on long term loan recently (on the condition that we give it to her when she needs to use it) but I didn't dare do something new on a gift that had to be given that day! I just ironed it and it turned out perfectly!

Angie was thrilled with the gift and I just know that Abby will look adorable in it.

Yesterday was a great day. Here's one of my favorite shots:

From left to right, my Dad, Angie, (back) my brother Bobby, Abigail Rose, Cathy, me, Evie and my Mom, Joshua in front

Evening Stockings

Pattern: Evening Stockings for a Young Lady
Designer: Nancy Bush as inspired by Weldon's Practical Needlework
Pattern Source: Knitting Vintage Socks
Yarn: Socks that Rock, Lite Rock in Jasper colorway
Needles: US 2 Clover double points

See this post for a listing of the alterations I made. I loved using this yarn and am looking forward to Maryland Sheep and Wool so I can get some more (yes, I realize I'm looking forward 7months). There has been much talk about this yarn post-Rhinebeck. The booth was a mob scene at MS&W last year. The Fold definitely has good press!

The one limitation of using hand dyed yarn: while both skeins were from the Jasper colorway, there was no dyelot indicated on the band. While they looked similar in the skein and subsequent ball, the socks look quite different. One is a shade darker and slightly more solid. I like them anyway. And this kind of fraternal nature bothers me less than Lorna's variegated does.

Socktoberfest progress:
Complete pairs: 1
Single socks remaining: 3

October

October is my favorite month and has been since college. We started the month off by going to Rosemont to celebrate the traditional Oktoberfest day- family weekend/homecoming. It just so happened to be the day of my 5 year reunion.

Silly girls:

Names withheld to protect the gossipy. We had a great time sitting with these girls for the cocktail hour and dinner. We did WAY too much gossiping and laughing about other people who were there. It was a blast.

Oktoberfest was always my favorite day at Rosemont. The campus is always gorgeous- trees just starting to turn color. It has always been a day of familiar faces, hugs and fun. When I was on the Activities Council I was the team leader for Special Events so I spent two of my four Oktoberfests in a headset, running around, checking in with vendors, etc. It was wonderful. I loved that feeling!

Going to Rosemont always feels like going home and this year was no different. We got to see friends and classmates. Michelle started tearing up when we talked to the President of the college about the Cap and Gown ceremony (the academic induction of first year students) that was going to be held the next day. It was a great day.

It is so much fun to be there with Michelle. It is fun for me to watch her talk to people, to try to avoid their questions and comments about how fantastic she looks. I know it makes her uncomfortable. It makes me giggle though!

And Sunday:

I whipped up this sweater on my summer vacation

and gave it to Evie for her first birthday

A thoughtful shot:

The details:

Pattern: Baby Surprise Jacket

Designer: Elizabeth Zimmerman

Pattern source: There are many but I used The Opinionated Knitter, the collection of Wool Gatherings that was published in the Spring

Yarn: Schafer Laurel in the Shari Lewis Colorway

Needles: darned if I can remember

Yarn source: Sophie's Yarns a few years ago

Button source: Loop

The sweater fits Miss Eve just perfectly. The sleeves are long enough to keep her little arms warm but short enough to not get in her way. I called it Eve's Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. We joked at the party yesterday that it will either go with everything she owns or nothing. Only a kid that gorgeous could wear a sweater that wild!

Finished Pi

I finished the knitting on my Pi shawl on Tuesday. This is what it looked like before blocking:

I then soaked it in some Lavendar Eucalan. The color ran and after a 15 minute soak, I ran the water and rinsed the shawl until the water stopped turning pink. Then I rolled it in a towel and started the blocking.

Here it is pinned out with my blocking tools in the middle:

I used tips on blocking a circular shawl that someone described on the Summer of Lace/ Lace for All Seasons Yahoo group. I cut a length of cotton yarn the length that I wanted to pin out each point. After I pinned the first point, I counted around until I reached the direct other side (or halfway around the circle) and I pinned that point. Then I started pinning halfway between each pin until the points were closer and closer together. Once there were 2 or 3 points between each pin, I just started pinning them out in order. It took about 45 minutes.

I had left work early on Tuesday with a stomach ache. I don't know what posessed me to crawl around on the floor with a stomach ache but I didn't have it in me until this morning to unpin it. Two days home from work with a stomach ache and anxiety- yuck. I always feel more anxious when I get sick and having a fever doesn't help. After nearly two days of being pinned to the floor, the Pi got unpinned early this afternoon. I finally found enough energy to wash my hair and put on something other than pajamas. Don't laugh at these pictures of me in an enormous t-shirt and mesh shorts modeling this shawl!

Now I feel like I can wear this shawl anywhere after having worn it with a University of Michigan t-shirt (a gift from a former boss) and really old Rosemont College shorts!

When I set out to do the Pi Shawl, I wasn't sure that I was up to the challenge of such a big project. I've made a few sweaters and a triangle shawl but primarily, I'm a sock knitter. Knitting socks requires a sense of humor and some willingness to use small needles. It doesn't usually require marrying yourself to a chart or a several month commitment. I'm glad I believed in my knitting abilities and made this beautiful project. I'm so thrilled with how it turned out!

On my computer chair:

Pattern: Pi Shawl
Designer: Elizabeth Zimmerman
Source: Knitters' Almanac
Edging source: free from Knitting-and
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Helen's Lace in Cranberry
Needle: Size 7
Finish date: September 19, 2005

Sockapal2za

My Sockapal2za socks are finished!

Specs:

Pattern: Unst

Pattern Source: Nancy Bush's Knitting on the Road

Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock, Brick colorway

Needles: Clover bamboo dpn, US3

Recipient: Sockapal2zpa pal (to be revealed at the end of the week)

Notes: These socks totally fit the description of the book: you can take these socks anywhere and you probably won't need to carry the pattern with you. An easy four row repeat makes lovely lace while not tying you to the chart. I don't typically knit socks on needles this large, especially not with Lorna's but I wanted the lace to be nice and open and I'm happy with the resulting fabric. The sole is knit slightly looser than I typically prefer for socks but I like them just the same. I used the toe described in the pattern. I like that it make a nice long, closed toe but I don't see myself switching to this toe method. I like my grafting.

I did a good deal of knitting on these socks while watching benefit shows for Hurricane Katrina relief (read: I was crying while knitting). The recipient of these socks has been writing at length about relief for the victims of this terrible event. I think it fitting that I was thinking about and praying for those affected by Katrina when working on these socks. I hope my pal will wear them in good health and happiness while she reaches out to those in need.

Note to my pal: I'll be out of town at the beginning of next week so I may not be able to acknowledge receiving my socks until Thursday of next week unless they arrive by this weekend. I just don't want my pal to think I'm neglectful or ungrateful. Now that I've finished my socks, I've started thinking about how great it will be to get a new pair of socks in the mail! There are some amazing finished socks on Allison's updates and I'm hoping that I'll love the ones that were made for me.

If this were just any day...

If this were just any other day, I would write this post:

Books:

I finished four books in August:

• A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving (finally! I finished this book. I really enjoyed getting to know these characters and am so glad that I persevered with this book after putting it down so many times before)
• Geek Love by Katherine Dunn (a tremendous book. Really, it was amazing! I'd reread this and highly recommend it.)
• Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld (Meh. I read this on the beach and it was good beach reading.)
• A Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (loved it)

That brings the 2005 total to 46. I don't think I'll make the goal of 70 books in 2005 that I set back in June but I do expect to surpass 60. As always, details are at Bibliophil, username is cms519.

Knitting:

Pattern: Eyelet vest

Pattern source: Special Knits by Debbie Bliss

Yarn: Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino, less than 2 balls

Needles: Crystal Palace circs, US 3 and 4

Finished: Sunday, August 21st

Destination: Loop store sample

Notes: The bottom edge needs to be steamed and the back needs a button but otherwise, this was a quick, easy, and lovely knit. 4 days total.

This is my Sockapal2za sock in progress.

Pattern: Unst

Pattern source: Nancy Bush's Knitting on the Road

Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Brick

Needles: Clover bamboo dpn, US 3- the needles are a great size to make open lace and a stretchy sock.

Note: I'm down to knitting on the foot. This picture is a few days old.