Spatial Stitches

2010-03-23T00:45:00.000-07:00

A Sign of the Times

2008-10-09T08:46:00.000-07:00

You know that something in your life has gone tragically wrong when, instead of a sweater's worth of yarn, you choose to get yourself this for your birthday...

I guess I fall into the category of people that are leery about spending on "frivolous" things in case the economy tanks even more in the future. But, that's OK because Kristel on Ravelry did the sweetest thing yesterday. She noticed that I queued her great bayret pattern and sent me a message asking if I'd like a copy for my birthday. Isn't that nice? I really hope I can find time to cast on this weekend.

Noooooo!

2008-09-18T11:50:00.001-07:00

I'm going to run out of yarn. I've been (slowly) plugging away on a nearly 100% stockinette stitch sweater. Ya, fun. It's made a knitting machine look awfully appealing.

I've completed the arms, fronts, and most of the back, on this yoked sweater. I'm not going to have enough yarn to complete the yoke. The sad part is that I've held it up to me and it appears that it may be too large around. What do I do? Continue into the 80's and make it an off the shoulder sweater? Rip back and start over?(I assure you this is not an option) Knit the yoke and button bands in a different colour? use a different dye lot? Put it in the "ugh" pile and call it good?

I've already searched Ravelry to see if anyone has the yarn in the same dye lot. Nope.

In cooking news: Do you make lasagne with no boil noodles? Do they often become curly? Mine do. I figured it was normal, until this morning. I was watching a Cooks Illustrated podcast on lasagne and they said to soak the no boil noodles in hot water for 10 minutes. The curling will stop!

Move over Martha

2008-09-08T12:15:00.000-07:00

Canned Jam and Jelly! (sort of)

A couple weeks ago, I finally stopped talking about wanting to learn to make jam and to can, and did it! I bought the Blue Ball Book (who came up with that name?). I guess it's the bible of canning. I also bought 12 jars and all the canning gear. Then I read the book. Making jam and canning have to occur at the same time - a daunting task when you need to fit the massive canning pot, a pot large enough to fit 7 jars, another pot for lids, and the pot to make the jam, all on a half-size range. I think it would probably fit on a regular sized stove-top. I tried to make it work but I'm going to have to buy a plug in element because it was too difficult and compromised my jam.

Anyway, I was a little intimidated so I decided to make strawberry freezer jam first. All you do is mush the strawberries and add the freezer jam packet. It was quick and painless...and runny. It was more like strawberry puree. In fact, I made a pb&j to take to school for dinner. By the time I went to eat it, the jam had soaked right through the bread and turned it pink.

Apparently measurements are crucial in jam making.

Luckily, I found a use for runny jam. Home-made soy ice cream! Mix one part runny jam with one part soy creamer. Bring almost to a boil then take it off the element and add a slurry of arrowroot and soymilk. Stir and refridgerate overnight. The next day, pop it in the ice cream maker and, voila, strawberry soy ice cream that kicks ass!

Next up, peach jam and grape jelly. I was so overwhelmed by the whole process of boiling, stirring, lifting, watching, timing, that I didn't take any photos.

Do you know how much sugar is in homemade jam? SO MUCH. There is twice as much sugar as fruit! I made the peach jam with regular pectin, the "traditional" way. It's really sweet. Really really sweet. And a little overcooked tasting. You have to bring your jam to a boil slowly - but not too slowly. I was too slow. Now I have 7 jars of sickly sweet peach syrup, with chunks. The peach bits float to the top. I guess if you let the jam sit 5 minutes before canning the peaches will mix in and look pretty. Whatever.

The jars that I didn't open actually look like they may have set to a regular jam consistency. I'll cross my fingers.

I was hoping to redeem myself with the grape jelly. Maybe next time. I decided to use no-sugar pectin because the grapes were quite sweet. I still added about 1 cup of sugar to the pot, instead of the recommended 7.5!

Wow, is grape jelly labor intensive. First you slighty crush your grapes into a big pot. Add about 1/4 cup of water for every quart of grapes. Then simmer to make grape juice. When finished, strain it through a few layers of cheese cloth on a strainer. Don't smush it through, as I did. That's a big no no. Let it sit overnight because it forms crystals. The next day strain it again. Then you have grape juice! Yummy but a lot of work for not much juice. The juice is used to make jelly.

The jelly set ok. It's still softer than store bought jelly, actually, it's more the consistency of jam. It does taste really good. Just enough sugar to still be a little bit tart. And you can really taste the fruit, something that can't be said for the peach jam.

Jam and Jelly making aren't easy, for me. There are so many points to go wrong that it's nearly impossible to figure out what went wrong.

I'm going to take a break from jam and try making and canning salsa and tomato sauce. It sounds much easier.

I think we can all appreciate this.

2008-07-24T23:50:00.000-07:00

cup-a-cake holder

Why I Heart Ravelry

2008-07-21T20:02:00.000-07:00

The patterns? The yarns? The endless knitting inspiration? No. The kindness of knitters.

Quite a while ago I came across these when trying to find a stylish alternative to the typical spandex-worthy panniers sold in the US. After much research, I learned that only the hawaiian looking version was available in the US. Perhaps that's changed since months have passed. Basil doesn't ship internationally and SBS wouldn't import them. I found myself with only one option. Find someone that lives in the Netherlands.

Enter Ravelry message boards. I posted my request in the Netherlands group and crossed my fingers. Sure enough, the sweetest woman contacted me and had actually gone to check her local bike shop to see if they had them. I was floored. And, thus, started the process of getting my pretties over to the land of cars and sprawl.

Not only did Jaqueline send the panniers but she also sent the most delicious cookies I've ever had and great, HUGE bags that are perfect for storing yarn. Thanks again, Jaqueline.

Everyday, when I'm unlocking my bike, I can't help but smile. I love my panniers. Love. Not only because they're so cute but because panniers are actually the most handy things around! I cart everything around and don't feel a thing. No more backpack back!

I imagine that these will be readily available in no time. The Globe and Mail recently had an article about cycling in everyday clothes (apparently, until recently it was believed that regular clothes and shoes would catch fire if worn on a bike). Down with spandex up with style!

Have you ever seen such beautiful cardboard?

2008-07-14T11:21:00.000-07:00

They're designed by the architects of graypants inc. Stunning!

I do still knit!

2008-07-09T14:09:00.000-07:00

If all goes well, this should be a market bag. The yarn is Louet Euroflax. I wish I could afford a sweater or skirt quantity because I really like it! I thought it was going to be rough and stiff. It is, but in a really nice way.

Knitting, what's that?

2008-06-30T12:05:00.000-07:00

It's becoming quite clear that my knitting is on a summer hiatus. Finding a spot for my sewing machine has released all this pent up creativity, I suppose.

Today I joined the waiting list for a website that could change my whole crafty world. Spoonflower lets you design and buy your own custom fabric printed on demand. How cool is that? I have no aspirations to become a textile designer. In fact, when I came across the site, I thought "what would I design?" and I'm pretty sure I heard air wooshing around up there. But, sometimes it's hard to find "the perfect" fabric. This might be the answer to getting exactly what you want.

In the FO department, another Birdie Sling compliments of Saturday's severely polluted air. This time I added a magnetic snap. I had a hell of a time getting my lining and exterior to match up as one was much larger than the other. Weird. They fell right into place on the first sling. After a lot of fiddling, the snap halves were off about .5cm from each other. It still works.

Deja Vu? Almost

2008-06-27T08:28:00.000-07:00

Everything was going along so well. I planned the look, the maximum size I would be happy with, the size of the slots, and the closure. Then I took off. Only had to cut once - ya! Realized that a flap would be better than a strap and solved the problem before it was to late - ya! Interface-free pockets are the perfect stiffness - ya!

Here comes the math. I started to put my needles in and realized that I counted wrong. By 5 circulars! 1, ya ok, it happens, but 5? Luckily I had room to double up a couple smaller ones and, really, when don't I have multiple projects sitting on needles?

Then I closed it. I forgot to put the snaps on! There's no way that I'm picking all those stitches. In this picture I'm using double sided tape to hold the flap shut. It works but it's probably not a permanent solution :)

I need an idea to close the flap that doesn't involve machine sewing, since I can only go through one layer on the body. It also needs to involve three spots (top, middle, bottom) to close the flap properly.

So far I've only come up with 3 options. 1) Three small black frog closures. I can sew them on by hand and they'll probably match. But, with shipping, they aren't cheap. 2) Green fabric loops on the flap side and buttons on the body side. Con: I would have to sew the green loops to the outside of the flap rather than enclosing them in a seam. It could look really sloppy. 3) Three Velcro circles. Ugly but it would do the trick and require the least amount of work.

I wish I had the ability to consider it a mistake, stick an elastic around the center and be done with it.

Things that make you go hmm

2008-06-22T19:50:00.000-07:00

Pattern: Birdie Sling by Amy Butler
Fabric: Some sort of Japanese import, on the exterior, and bunnies on the interior.
Time: One night
Cost: Too much. Since it uses fusible fleece and interfacing and the pattern is pricey, it's not a cheap bag. Definitely get the components when Joann's has a 50% off sale.

This is my first Amy Butler pattern. It's a super easy pattern (although wordy) that makes a cute bag and would be just fine for beginners.

Like most patterns, yardage is grossly overestimated. The weird thing is that they cut the interfacing yardage really close. I found that 1 yard of each fabric was more than enough. The 1/2 yard of fusible fleece was the exact amount but the 3.5 yards of interfacing was a close call.

The bag is BIG, which I love, but a little too stiff for my liking because it's lined with fusible fleece. Next time I'll replace the fleece with interfacing. Also, this bag gapes a lot, do to the gussets, so it could definitely use a magnetic snap or zipper. I would also replace the inner pockets with a zippered pocket.

I've received some nice compliments about the bag, which leads me to believe it would be a nice gift for friends. It would probably make a really great beach tote too. Also, the large inner pocket, with the seam up the middle, makes for somewhat long, thin pockets that are perfect for straight needles. A few tweaks and this could be an awesome knitting bag.

One caution: If you're really tiny, this bag might be a little overwhelming on you.

All in all, I'm very happy with the finished object. Amy's patterns are very appealing, especially the Weekender. But, for such a simplistic pattern, I think that $13 is way too much money. I'll definitely make it again (if anything to get my money's worth out of the pattern :).

Did you notice the cabinet that the bag is hanging on? It's my new yarn holder. Not bad for $30! I love being able to look at all the yarn - it's like having my own yarn shop. fun fun! I'm working on making my craft corner organized enough to use it on a regular basis. Exciting stuff.

First Try!

2008-06-10T10:59:00.003-07:00

I only had to sew it once, ya!

I can't tell you how happy I am to have a needle roll. Why did I take so long to get around to it? Oh ya, the space. I think Travis is getting tired of being poked by pins on the kitchen floor.

Soon I'll be able to find all my needles. When i was thinking through my needle roll needs, I realized that I would need 3 cases. I have a lot of needles so one case that does it all would have to be large and (probably) unwieldy. It made more sense to make three: one for straights, one for circulars, and one for travel/carrying around. So far I've only made the straight.

I don't know who the fabric designer is but I bought it at Eddie's Quilting Bee/whatever the other name of the store is. The case holds 18 sets of needles. I made the slots in various sizes so the small needles wouldn't be swimming in their home and the large needles wouldn't have to have to be split up. It's padded with a very thin, natural, batting. It could probably do with two layers or one thicker layer but I'm happy.

I had originally intended for the inside to be entirely green but I was watching a movie while cutting and cut the green pieces to small. There wasn't enough green to cut more so I added the print to the inside. It's a happy mistake because I think I like the mix better.

This is what it looks like with the top flap closed and the needles inside.

It makes a nicer roll with the needle sizes mixed up, rather than in order of smallest to largest, which is the way I sized the slots. Next time I'll change it up.

Before sewing the front and back together, I played around with closures. The measurements were based on quarters (edges into center then in half) with the intention to use a magnetic snap. But, with needles ranging from 1-15 inside, it was uneven and lacked structure. The traditional roll made the most sense (if it ain't broke...).

Once I knew I would roll it, I had to decide how to close it. Ties weren't an option, which left snaps or D-ring. Depending on the number of needles inside at one time, the snaps would have to be adjusted or have multiple in line (like a belt buckle) so D-ring it was! Now if I only put the straps on the correct side. I chose the right side because it wouldn't tug the case in the wrong direction, when closed, but I didn't consider opening the case. Instead of undoing the strap and having the case roll open, you have to unwrap the strap all the way around. I would change that next time as well.

Sewing has made something very apparent - my math needs help. I like to think that it's because I'm always cutting when I'm distracted or that my grids are US Customary rather than metric, but it really comes down to my basic math skills. After all, I'm supposed to know how to add fractions in my head, right? (even if they are an inconvenient measurement system)

I think there are a gazillion needle roll tutorials out there but if you want me to write it up for you just drop me an email.

Bringing out the beast

2008-06-06T13:44:00.001-07:00

Last Friday I decided to break out the sewing machine. I've been wanting to sew for such a long time but the amount of work it takes to get everything out and find space that I can make a big mess in just never seems worth it.

I'm so glad I finally did it! I think I became so obsessed with knitting because it doesn't require a lot of space (stash storage excluded). My plan was to make a small project knitting bag to try and break free from the oh so stylish Ziploc. Easy, right? No. Boy was I rusty! 6 attempts later, there's still a change I want to make. You thought I was a perfectionist when it came to knitting...I'm starting to think I might have sewing OCD.

I definitely prefer the shorter version, which was actually the result of mistake after mistake. It started the same height as the dark bag. Isn't the fabric pretty? I think it's called Dobby cotton. It's the Japanese kind with texture.

I made the pattern with a compass and ruler, forgetting basic sewing principles like width subtraction when attaching cylinders to circles. There would have been a lot less stress with a box bottom.

I also wanted my lining to be firmly attached to the bottom, rather than flipped over, because it irks me to pull something out of a bag and have the lining come with it.

It also took me a bit to figure out the right closure. I prefer the look of two drawstrings, like the above bags, but the single drawstring with a cord stopper is more secure for tossing into other bags.

You won't believe the fabrics that are in my stash. It was a good wake-up call for stashing yarn. Most of the fabric has been there for around 15 years and isn't so appealing anymore (that's the problem when you keep stuff from your teen years). Below is one example of a lovely gem I came across. The receipt was dated 1991(!) and it's not the oldest in there.

Next up are larger bags for other works in progress and a needle holder. I sketched out my plan for a needle case but, given, the number of revisions it took for a silly bag, I'm a little intimidated by the number of times I'm going to have to make needle cases before I end up with one I like.

Given that I've become quite proficient at making the small bags, I'm considering opening an Etsy store. There are already lots of sellers with similar bags but there must be room for one more.

Tomorrow Eddie has 35% off all their fabric and 25% off everything else in the store. I'm hoping to get some modern fabrics to update the stash and make some sort of slouchy shoulder bag with a big button. I'll probably end up with 5 slightly different bags in case anyone is interested.

Better than Lotto

2008-06-02T19:54:00.000-07:00

So, today I get this ravmail from Brownberry asking if I've been to the Year Long Gift-a-Long site lately. I was immediately overcome with guilt from not doing well on the whole gift knitting thing. Not well is really an understatement. So, I compiled my goals for June and, bound and determined to complete them, I headed over to the blog to tell everyone.

But, I didn't make it that far because I was headline news. I won a "just because" giveaway. I never win anything. My dad always says that we create our own luck. I'm sure that he would say I created this by joining the KAL but I think that random.org had a little to do with it :) Anyway, it turns out that I won a skein of Cherry Blossom Fibers sock yarn and 3 patterns from Cookie A. (she's pretty much world famous in sock knit-land). I have no idea what patterns they are but I've been coveting Trystero so hopefully it's included.

Thank you Marce, for making my day! (and thank you Cookie A. and Cherry Blossom Fibers for kindly donating to the KAL)

Where's the Inspiration?

2008-05-29T19:05:00.000-07:00

I am having such a hard time getting myself to knit these days. I finally have time to do some serious knitting but nothing is inspiring me to do so, which is really weird because I've been adding to my queue like crazy on Ravelry. I'm interested in finding things to knit and finding yarn to knit those things with but not so interested in the knitting itself. I started this Kri Kercheif a few weeks ago but this is as far as I got before I lost interest.

On Sunday I started the Sunday Market Shawl in Manos Silk Blend. After forcing myself to work on it this week I sure hope that I'm going to have enough yarn. It's looking awfully short. Apparently it stretches a lot but it's so hard to believe.

So what do I do instead of knitting? Well, I've been trying to get my yarn uploaded to Ravelry. I used to think that the project, stash, books, and needles pages were too time consuming for something I would never use. Patterns and inspiration from other knitters were enough for me. However, despite my sparse apartment I misplace my knitting book all the time and I can never remember what needles or yarn I have. At least in Ravelry I always know where to find the info. It's also good to quickly size up my yarns to patterns or see if I own the pattern.

During the process, I've come across yarns I don't like anymore or know that I'll never knit. A couple clicks and they're now for sale. I've actually sold some too. Of course, selling resulted in buying from other Ravelers. For future reference, it's a pretty good place to check when you know what you want.

I bought two skeins of Rowan Kidsilk Spray for $5!! I hate kidsilk - hate - but the Drizzle scarf in Rowan 38 has been calling my name. I also bought a skein of Sundara sock yarn because I've been curious about all the hype. How could it be that nice? Well, it arrived and the color has more depth than I've seen in other yarn. I don't know that I'd pay full price but getting it from someone's cheap destash was totally worth it.

Here's the problem with impulse buys. I went back to my LYS, that is going out of business, to see what was left, which was pretty much nothing. Patterns were 50% off but that was about it. Then they brought out the oddballs. The Drizzle scarf calls for various skeins of Rowan Felted Tweed in the same color family. Normally I'd find a sub but the two purple skeins, below, were $3. I couldn't buy acrylic for that price. One problem - I don't like blue and purple together. I want the scarf to be shades of blue. Whoops. Anyone have blue felted tweed that they'd like to trade for purple?

Also, the scarf in the book looks significantly different than the FO's I've seen. It's more muted, which is the look I want. I wonder if it's the photography or the color choice?

Start-itis and Stall

2008-05-08T10:30:00.001-07:00

I had a small bout of startitis a few weeks ago. I started another chevron scarf and knit a few inches but I wasn't loving the colours - as usual. I was going for more brown/sand and less green. Look how green that one skein is? What was I thinking?

So then I started the Skuld Bag. I love the pattern but chose the wrong yarn. I was in a skuld-knitting frenzy until about 1.5 repeats from the end. Then I stopped. Now, not only has it been two weeks since I worked on it, but it's been that long since I worked on anything. Strange how that happens.

Oddball news of the week: I really enjoyed Ironman - the movie, not the race. I was taken against my will but it turns out that it was actually a good movie. I've had to endure the pain of almost every comic book movie and this is hands down my favourite.

Food News: YUM! It's Orange Sesame Tofu (but I forgot to add the sesame seeds) with Coconut Rice from Eat, Drink, and be Vegan. I'm having a tough time with the new diet but I think it'll get easier once I get past the initial few weeks of shock.

Procrastination at it's best

2008-05-07T11:56:00.000-07:00

I was surprised to get in my car, yesterday, to see that I only drove 147 miles in April. I'm usually around 350miles so I think I did pretty good. My beach cruiser, on the other hand, isn't as happy. It's only 6 or 7 years old but the squeeks and creaks are getting a lot louder. If I'm going to drive less than 100 miles in May then I'm going to have to unload some of the burden on a different bike. Never in a million years did I think that I would be considering buying a town/commuter/comfort bike but it makes sense. I'm even going to sell my mountain bike to pay for it. If all goes well I should have some yarn money leftover.

These are the bikes that I'm considering. The only one that I've tested is the Bianchi and that was 2 years ago when I was tagging along with a friend who was bike shopping. I don't remember much about it but they didn't have as many Milano flavours then as they do now. One of them must be perfect for me ;)

Bianchi Citta or Alfine - I think it's the nicest design of them all.

Felt Cafe 8 Deluxe - I like how they incorporated a clip-off pack into the seat design.

Electra Amsterdam Classic 3 - I've never been an Electra Fan but this sure is cute. I doubt that it's quick release for fixing flats.

Specialized Globe 6 - The best in terms of specs...but would it look ok with a basket on the front?

To be honest, I'm not really looking forward to bike shopping. All the weighing of the pros and cons makes my head hurt. I wanted cheap but the man has a good point that this bike will get more use than my car so I shouldn't be cheaping out. But I also don't want it to get stolen. Speaking of stolen, how cute is this?

Ok, back to studying.

Shrinky Dink

2008-04-28T20:46:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning to show what happens when you wash and dry washable wool one too many times. This used to be a Rib and Cable sock. I made it out of Rowan Cashsoft 4 ply. Although it pilled a lot, it was soft and made for great socks for wearing at home and too bed (I need warm socks for the ice cold cement floors). Apparently this yarn doesn't like to be washed and dried so much because one day I pulled it out of the dryer to see that it had given up on it's sock life.

Below is the only FO I've had in a while. I made it a couple weeks ago and gifted them to Sandy for her birthday. She was even wearing them volunteering one day...and she didn't know I'd be there so I think she likes them.

Pattern: Maine Morning Mitts from The Knitter's Book of Yarn (but she's providing the pattern for free on her site)

Yarn: Noro Kureyon colour 95, 1 skein

Time to finish: a few hours

Knitting progress and new goals

2008-04-10T15:39:00.000-07:00

Recently, I've found myself drawn towards knitting the Hemlock Ring blanket. This one ,in particular, piqued my interest. Well, that and the Webs sale, which would make it only $20 to knit the whole blanket in the identical yarn! Plus I still have my free shipping coupon from Stitches. A lot of Ravelers have commented on it being a quick mindless knit. It sure doesn't look like it.

On the knitting front, these little numbers are almost finished:

It's amazing how fast socks knit up when you only have to knit the foot portion! They should only take a few nights to knit the pair! I'm starting to think all my socks will be this length. They are made from STR lightweight in the colour "cockcrow", which I bought at Stitches. I thought it was an unusual colourway...it was also one of the few colourways left (I wonder why?). Hopefully you're not too repulsed by the brightness, H!

I've recently been asked why I'm knitting so many socks. Why not? I've got a ton of sock yarn, ugly feet, and I like to knit mindless projects. Case closed.

Kool-aid Dying - could it be that my insides are neon pink and blue?

2008-04-10T15:06:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I got together with my knitting buds for a Kool-aid yarn dying session. I think we all know that Kool-aid doesn't make the list of "good" things to put in your body but dying yarn with it casts a whole new light on fake food. The yarn literally sucks up the dye and leaves the water crystal clear. It's hard to believe even when you see it with your own eyes.

Dying yarn was so much fun. There was nothing remotely professional about our finished products but that's ok because the journey is what matters. We've already scheduled our next session so expect to see some amazing skeins:)

This is my yarn. It's 2 packs strawberry that was overdyed with some green food colouring. I didn't believe it would really mute the strawberry red but sure enough, Knititout was right. Don't mind the tangles. By this time next year, I should have them out.

Last night, despite little progress in the untangling arena, I was feeling inspired. I headed over to Safeway and picked up some more Kool-aid. The goal: self striping. What an exercise in frustration, mostly because my yarn kept tangling. I am never ever buying this yarn again. I blame it, not me.

This time I used 2 packs orange - it didn't take well to all of the yarn, next time I will use 4 packs of orange. The reds are actually different. One section is 2 packs strawberry and the other is 2 packs cherry. They look pretty much identical, even when dry. I plan to get a couple packs of dark cherry and overdye one section. Hopefully I'll have time tonight because I'm excited to see if the striping really worked.

The left side is strawberry and the right side is cherry.

I'm going to order some more undyed yarn to experiment with. I don't see myself doing lots of dying but I'd like to try and get to a point where the end result looks like something I might actually buy - which means there could be a lot of experimenting. Light, muted colours would be nice.

There are more dying session photos here.

State Park land = great knitting spots.

2008-04-07T09:11:00.000-07:00

Do you ever go to the beach? If so, you've probably gone to one of the 48 state parks that are proposed to be closed in California. Many are the beaches in/around Santa Cruz, San Luis Obispo, LA, Orange County, and San Diego. Not to mention the many beautiful inland state parks that are great camping, hiking and swimming spots - Clear Lake State Park has a great campground!

To see a list of the parks that the Terminator wants to close click here.

To sign a petition and/or learn more about the problem, click here.

Please help save them!

A Farewell to Apples and Applesauce

2008-03-30T10:51:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful morning at the Farmers Market! It would be perfect if we could get rid of the "tourist" shoppers: those people who have some romantic notion of going to the farmer's market yet only come out on clear sunny days to wander around and buy nothing (and get in the way...especially with their ridiculous double-wide strollers. The person who invented those should have to go a private hell where double wides block his or her every move).

Sadly, apple season is over until fall. I got some golden delicious for one last batch of yummy applesauce. I'll freeze it and we'll eat it in no time then be applesauce deprived for many months. I really need to learn to pressure can.

Luckily, the calla calla oranges still rock and strawberries and sugar snap peas are back! Perhaps this will be the summer that I finally make jam.

by by vacation

2008-03-29T21:34:00.000-07:00

Washington was a lot of fun. I can't believe I lived in Victoria for so long and never went to that part of the state. Unfortunately fun and relaxation come with consequences - catching up on all the work I needed to do over Spring Break. Oh well.

One of the places we went was Poulsbo. The population is 7500 people and the main street is about a block long yet it has two knitting stores, a scrapbook store, a rubberstamp store, and a bead store! That's one seriously crafty town.

The yarn stores were pretty good. One of them, Wild and Wooly, had some nice yarns but they organized in a way that I've complained about before, by color! I think that only makes sense for beginning knitters. I find it utterly frustrating. It didn't help that the woman working there was less than friendly. Really not my kind of place.

I didn't get too much knitting done. I ended up ripping out the sock I posted earlier. I was loving the colour so much that I thought I should do something nicer than 2x2 rib. I started a simple cabled sock and boy did it throw the colour off! Pooling galore. I don't know why I continue to buy varigated yarn. I just hate how it can pool. But, apparently, it's my crack because I keep on going back for more.

Coming to you live from Bainbridge Island

2008-03-21T20:11:00.000-07:00

We've lucked out with great weather in Puget Sound...so far. It's been sunny and cool and beautiful.

Bainbridge Island is like a really clean, upscale, small town and everyone is so friendly. I can't tell you how many people wave at us when we're driving or say hi when we're walking. Soooooo, different from the Bay Area. I always forget how different the Bay Area is from the Pacific Northwest. Apparently, we need to be living here because check out the street sign!

The best Veggie sandwich - ever - is at Streamliner Diner. It must be homemade grainy/nutty bread. It's got homemade hummus, havarti, cucumber, tomato, and sprouts. I think it's the best sandwich I've ever had.

There's also a little yarn shop here called Churchmouse Yarns...I think. It's cute, has a pretty good variety of yarns, and the people were super nice. But, it sells tea and some food and other things. I get that tea and yarn go together but it's still weird to me. It would be one thing if they were serving tea in a warm environment/cafe setting, but selling it? It sort of felt like if you walked too far you'd be in a grocery store. Regardless, they had a couple really nice locally spun and dyed yarns. But did I buy any? No. Instead I bought what I already have plenty of - Socks that Rock. I just love the colourway. It's called Footzy Foo. It is a couple shades of green and pale greeny blue, and some beige. Very Spring like.

I guess I'm obsessed with STR right now because I started a pair of socks in Mist. The yarn is so lovely to knit with and so pretty.

It' supposed to be sunny tomorrow too. Yeah!

Le Ugly

2008-03-13T16:41:00.000-07:00

Since I became couch-bound from the flu last week and haven't been able to go out in public much (or study), I've gotten a lot of knitting done. One of my FO's is the Le Slouch by Knit and Tonic. I can't believe how ugly mine turned out. I guess it's not really ugly so much as not right.

I used a heavy aran tweed and moss stitch - with visions of perfectness in my head. Apparently I need new glasses. It's thick and stiff and HUGE and just not how I thought it was going to be - even while it was in progress. I'm pretty disappointed but I've moved on (in case you were concerned).

In happier FO's my second Chevron is finally officially finished. I love it! The Chevron scarf is one of my favourite scarves to have as a finished object. It can be made over and over and always look different, it's light enough to wear in California, and it seems universally appealing to most people (ie, gift recipients). The only downside it that it's boring as hell to knit and seems like it will never ever (ever) end. Oh and then there's the whole curling/folding thing but that's nothing a steaming hot iron can't fix :)