I was in a giant room full of yarn. It should surprise no one that I bought some.

A list of Things, in alphabetical order.

First up, some Debbie Bliss Pure Cashmere, from Marie's place, aka Stitch DC, obtained the day The Sign returned to her. (Yes, that journey will eventually be posted!) Originally, it was intended to be a replacement hat for my husband, whose last cashmere hat is AWOL. It may still be a hat for him... or it may be a hat for me. We'll see.

Now, on to the stuff from the TKGA Convention. I saw this at the Elegant Ewe table, and SQUEEEALED. It's Dream In Color Starry!!! I really liked Stephanie's Viper Socks, and although I don't plan to make my own Viper Socks, I'm totally making myself a cool long-sleeved lace shrug with cuffs-with-buttons at the wrists. (To use up the four leftover buttons from my Tilting Tardis Cowl.)



Spotted an ad for FibreSpace in one of the free mini-papers yesterday - here's the scoop (read: SALE!!!):
Monday - Thursday, July 19-22:
Tug a discount: pull a tail from our tangled mess and select a discount of 5-25% off all purchases on yarn, fibre, ribbon and books.

Friday, July 23rd is our one year Birthday party:
Bring in something that you have knitted from our stash of fibre over the last year and get 15% your entire purchase of yarn, fibre, ribbon and books.
Wear a festive hat and receive an additional 5% for a total of 20% off!
Enjoy coffee and pastries all morning and birthday cake in the afternoon and evening, during our day long birthday party.

This is my mother's ENTIRE yarn stash before the TKGA con. She doubled it with one trip!


Found this near closing time at the 'con. This will be my husband's hat; the color suits him better. The Alpaca is also a bit shiny, and has a wee bit of a halo; I think he'll like it.



Here's a what-can-I-use-for-this-yarn-emergency Yarn Bra, custom made from large Post-it Notes. Getting near the end of the center-pull ball of Pashmina I'm using for my Potions homework (yay, it's due soon!). Post-it Notes are adjustable, too!



And to end with Z - I scored a Slytherin Zauberball!! I'm going to make thigh-high lace stockings with these, just because.

Lucky for you (and me!), that's not all I got at the TKGA con. More vicarious stash enhancement for all y'all next week!

The Ears are Saved

The Secret Hat Project, Day Three, Continued

Okay, so, Friday night, I managed to get the Hat Recipient into bed in a timely manner (around 9pm), and knit furiously upon the hat. I got almost finished, realized the decrease scheme I'd hit upon for the crown looked like crap, and frogged back to where I stopped the ribbing. Said "to heck with it", k2tog (giving me 68 stitches, which, by the way, is divisible by four), divided the stitches evenly over my four needles, and then did K2tog-k across-k2tog each needle (followed by 2 rounds of k) three times, then K2tog-k across-k2tog each needle (followed by 1 round of k) for a bit, then just K2tog-k across-k2tog each needle until I managed to get down to two stitches left, total, which then got tucked through the top of the hat to the inside, and viciously knotted off. It was then 1:30 a.m., but I remembered to get pictures.

I then left the hat, wrapped in bright orange sparkly paper with a gold bow, in the dead center of the hallway, so that Hat Recipient would be certain to spy it upon waking. He didn't even notice it was in the hall, which says something about the cleanness of the house... so there was some cleaning. This is the semiannual Vacuuming of the Air Intakes for the Furnace.

Note: he's wearing the hat

This morning, on the way to work, he was willing (sort of) to pose with George so I could show you better pictures of the completed hat:

Is it just me, or does George look startled this morning?


Hat Close-Up
So, the Secret Hat Project is done, and the Hat Recipient's ears will now be safely warm. Yay!!

The Secret Hat Project (Post #300!)

First, go to DK's site and vote for which project you think she should work on next. (She can't remember what project is where, so I'm voting on the shiny bag at the back. Pick your favorite!)

Second, welcome to the latest crazy, the Secret Hat Project. I'm trying to make a lovely Karabella Supercashmere hat for my spouse (the "Hat Recipient"), with whom I live and commute to and from work - i.e., He Who Is In All My Knitting Spaces. I can only work on this hat at work, usually. Today is Day Three of the project. On to the chronicle!

Secret Hat Project, Day 1:

Managed to cast on at lunch, work several rounds, and determine sizing probably OK. Worked under desk later in the day. Realized hat would not be done quickly if only worked on at work. Smuggled hat and one ball yarn home under yarn for SotS-II. Worked on SotS-II during trip home. Hat Recipient unaware of extra yarn. Managed to work a bunch in between Hat Recipient's trips around house by having SotS-II draped over lap, hiding other yarn and needles as necessary. Also got a bit done on SotS-II, out of necessity. Had, by end of day, four inches of ribbing for hat. Need about a foot. Glad I bought two balls of yarn. Hat Recipient has big head.

Me, with flashlight and self-photo.
Lots of room on my head;
should be right size for Hat Recipient.
Secret Hat Project, Day 2:

Managed to smuggle hat back to work. In between reading "I Can Has Cheezburger?" and iTunes-ing my new Spanish-course CDs, I managed to knit right in the open at my desk. (It's slow during the mornings here right now; after lunch, WATCH OUT!) Boss-Who-Knits came out at one point, and we discussed the projects about to hit, and I kept knitting. Thankfully, I can work a k2/p1 rib without looking, so I was able to maintain "I am hearing what you're saying" eye contact, and still keep going on hat. She understands the importance of Warm Knitted Things for family; she has a son in college in inland Maine right now. (Maine = coldest northeasternmost tippy-tip of the USA. About even, latitude-wise, with Helena, Montana, with the extra bonus of winds from both Canada *and* the North Atlantic. Not somewhere to go for the winter, unless you REALLY like snow.) Got 5.5" done, then nothing. Spouse did not go to bed early as expected, so no knitting at home.

Hat, late Thursday afternoon.
Secret Hat Project, Day 3:

Almost finished with first ball of yarn. Knitting openly at desk now. Wish I'd found 16" size 3 circular needles last night, but can't look for knitting gear w/o inquisition from Hat Recipient. Don't want him to inquire as to why I need needles. He can tell when I'm winging an explanation.

Got to second ball of yarn at lunch. Will get k2p1 ribbing to 10", then begin decreases for crown. It's 66 stitches around. Figure decreasing 6 st/round every other round makes it all go away in 22 rounds. Hrm. Every 3 rounds? 33 rounds. Yeah. Then the rim can go double... GAK. I'm at 44 rounds total right now... but as the hat goes 'round, it will take less yarn... GAK.

44 rows of k2p1 rib
There won't be much knitting over the weekend, as I expect Hat Recipient to be fairly glued to my side all weekend, espeically during the Family Stuff on Saturday. So, he likely won't get his hat until Tuesday... unless everyone leaves me alone for the next hour and a half, and stops interrupting my knitting...!

Save the Ears!!

I don't watch 24, but I found this a bit startling, looming out of the darkness of the train platform last night...



Thankfully, it seemed to be related to a lottery jackpot, rather than how many hours I had left on Earth.

This morning, it got cold enough to merit coat *and* sweater, so The Cat Sweater made its first foray into the wild:


Yay! Warm sweater, actually done about a year from when it was started, in time for Actual Cold! (We have actual cold in DC right now. I was wearing sweater, coat, hat, and thermal mittens. Some people were looking at me like I was crazy - but I was warm, and, unlike every single one of them, my ears and nose weren't red, and I didn't have my arms wrapped around myself as I hugged myself to keep warm.)

Exciting yarn news today: I found two patterns via Ravelry yesterday. Oh, my heavens. I must stitch up a Moss Stitch Beret. Of course, for the one I'll do, the ribbing will be a warm, nutty caramel brown, and the beret-part will be a nice, rich chocolate. Because then, after all this time, I will have - AN ACORN HAT!!! BWA-HA-Ha-hahahaha!!!

*ahem*

Here's the yarn I got for that:


... and here's the yarn I got to make a warm hat for my husband, who cannot presently find a hat that actually covers his ears:


Yes, the Karabella Supercashmere is still 50% off at Stitch DC Georgetown. I got the last two balls of Manly Dark Navy Blue Color. I'll be doing the Warm Ribbed Winter Hat by Lucy H. Lee, and I'll be doing it via STEALTH. I kept the yarn in my desk downtown, and snuck my size 3 DPNs out of the house this morning. I hope to present him with the hat by the weekend. (Yes, I know, I'm not supposed to start any new projects this year, and I've already started and finished a canvas piece this week. But his EARS are COLD. I cannot allow this to continue whilst it is within my powers to save him!)

Winter Twilight Mitts

So, I began Wednesday with a completed Thumb #2 and 68 rows total finished. I managed to get two more done on the ride in to work - just eight rows of colorwork left, and back to only 48 stitches per round. If I could just finish those eight rows, and then the one k1 row, then the two decrease rows, then the four k1p1 rows then the k1 row then the bind-off, I'd be DONE! So easy, right? Never mind that it takes 15 minutes per row, if I was lucky (and not distracted) for a colorwork row, and I wasn't likely to have ANY spare time at my desk (since I was supposed to be working and all that), and that the ride home has been really knit-unfriendly lately, and that I probably wouldn't be home until 8pm at the earliest, and I stayed up WAAAAAAAY too late Monday and Tuesday, so I was sleep-deprived.

Thus, I managed to eat Low Sodium Wheat Thins and Dr. Pepper for lunch, whilst sitting on a bench in the sun for my entire lunch hour. Remember, I was sleep deprived. On the other hand, I got some knitting done. Lots of knitting. Heaps and heaps of knitting - otherwise known as The Rest Of The Colorwork. By the end of lunch, I was down to just the regular knitting stuff in just one color!

I also managed a SUNBURN.

Yep, after being all careful all spring and summer, I managed to get a sunburn this year in October. Just on the left side of my face, mind you (that's where the sun was, despite the supposed protection of the little tree between me and it) and my left ear. My arm must've gotten enough sun over the past six months that it's fine, despite also being in the sun. Hopefully, my hair will lighten up on that side, too, which would at least be a bit of a silver lining.

Anyway, there was lots of knitting done at lunch. And on the bus-ride cross-town to where my husband works. Thus, he was able to help me take these:

Huh. My eye looks oddly hazel. It's actually grey.

Yep, that's finished Winter Twilight Mitts! They fit perfectly, and are snug enough to wear under coats without fear of gloves-coming-off-in-sleeve, which is annoying, and doesn't much help if I'm planning to wear the mitts all day. But they're done! They're done! Yaaaaaaay!!

Cool Gadget o' the Week

Okay, so, not much knitting on Monday, but Tuesday went much better. During lunch, I was able to sit across the street in our Shiny New Park and knit for an hour:


Our new park rocks. Comfy benches, and the airplanes overhead are loud enough
to drown out all the chatter from nearby annoying office drones without lives.
They do have lives, actually, they're just really boring.
This got me within four rows of being able to finish and cast off the thumb. And I got to hear all about Terry (that's what the other girl called her) and how, in middle school, y'know, you'd like a guy, and, like, even if he was a total jerk and hated you, you'd, like, still like him, but thank God she was past that, and if That Jerk (didn't catch his name) wasn't going to call, she wasn't going to waste any time thinking about him. And then Terry and her bench-buddy spent at least forty minutes dissecting every conversation Terry and The Jerk had had over the past three weeks. *eyeroll*

Oh! While I'm thinking about it, this is the Coolest Thing Ever. This is my new Clover row counter:


It has a space to be suspended off a cord (not included), but who needs that? It fits in my pocked, AND IT LOCKS so the numbers don't change unless I want them to. This works for me much better than other row counters I have tried (oh, so many varieties!), and I totally would not be able to knit my Winter Twilight Mitts without it. This isn't regularly-patterned colorwork, where once you figure out a row you just keep going; it's high-concentration-follow-the-pattern stuff. (I have lots of extra yarn, since I didn't realize how little I'd be using; the matching hat I'll be starting in January, when I'm allowed to start new stuff, will at least be eight repeats of the same complicated thing, so I won't be *quite* so pattern-attached.)

Anyway, cool new gadget that Solved That Problem. Yay!

A good weekend!

Today's a work day for us - for most folks, I think, except for the banks and the federal government (otherwise known as "the two groups of people that might call our firm on any given day"). Still not sure why we're open today, but we are. My husband was super-sweet and drove me right to the door this morning, so I was able to have my favorite fountain soda (ever so-not-attainable in the city) with breakfast, and have it to slowly sip on all day.

Saturday, got to go to the Fall Festival in Old Town Fairfax for an hour or so (which was time to find all my favorite vendors and buy loot. And fudge at Ben & Xander's. REALLY GOOD FUDGE. Then there were errands, a nap, then a dash to Nature's Yarns to get The Last Spindle and some navy blue fluff. (The amazing Alex is sending me some orange fluff to play with; if you've ever heard me rant about my favorite football team, you know why I got the navy blue as well. PS, she's dIZZY sPINNERY on etsy.... pretty stuff!!)

Sunday, we got to see my husband's sister, who was in town for a few days to see our grandma, who'd had a bad turn. We just talked for hours and hours, which was fun, and I got to knit while we talked.

Thus, I got Something Accomplished, knitting-wise! Winter Twilight Mitt #1 had some problems when I cast it off the first time:

So very, very wrong.

You can see there's a problem. Even with k1p1 ribbing, it rolled. A LOT. Worse than most stockinette - plus, it was, somehow, mysteriously, four times wider than it needed to be. The colorwork part? Just fine. Fit perfectly. Snug. Like a glove, one might say. So - RIIIIIIIIP. Turns out k1 around, followed by one row of k4-k2tog around, followed by one row of k6-k2tog, k1 around then cast off worked. SEE??


Then I had time to get up to row 42 (of 78) of Twilight Mitt #2!


So, I got to buy cool stuff, hang out with cool people, and actually accomplish knitting. A good weekend, definitely!!

A bit of knitting, and a RANT.

Sonia Rykiel's Sonia collection (Autumn Winter 2008) had some cute stuff. The only thing that really hit a chord with me, though, was this:


I wanted a dress almost exactly like this (I think it was green stripes) during my brief flirtation with Preppydom in high school. (Things *do* come back in style, see?) Plus, that new study that came out? Horizontal stripes, if placed properly, make one look THINNER - verticals make you look BOXIER!! (I've always noticed this myself, so I tend to wear horizontal, but it's nice to know that I was actually RIGHT.) I thought about it - and it would be SUPER easy to knit something similar. So, if I ever finish half the stuff I'm working on, I'll make one for myself. Without the scrunchy forearms, most likely, and probably just a *wee* bit longer...!

Anyway, actual knitting content. Um. I stayed up waaaaaaaay too late last night. I didn't actually finish much, but I'm now past the thumb (well, I guess that's finished) and about 12 rows from the end of my Mitt.


I would've been much further, but sitting out in the park by the river in the allegedly fresh, open air - there was a ranger using Nutri-Air or OUST or some other toxin that causes a pretty bad reaction in my poor little lungs, so instead of burning off the extra non-billable time from work by sauntering in a half-hour late, I ended up in a bit early for slightly less bad air.

<RANT>
I HATE, hate HATE the chemical they're putting in that 'fresh air' crap - Fabreeze, OUST, Nutri-Air and all their little clones have it. It says, right on the spray can, listed below. They tried it in the BATHROOMS of my work building - I had a bad reaction, they didn't stop. One of the Rich Tenants got rushed to the hospital; it's gone. Pisses me off that me getting sick wasn't enough, y'know? The Bed, Bath & Beyonds here have started using it throughout the stores, so they've lost my business. (I've let them know this in no uncertain terms, and I'm waiting for the class-actions to start rolling in. They already have, but not against the major retail stores yet. I give it about ten years, and the whatever-it-is (I have the chemical name written in my phone so I can check stuff before buying) will be banned in the US.
</RANT>.

Here's the actual warning:

Active ingredient: Triethylene Glycol (6.0%)
Inert ingredients (94%)
Warnings: Avoid contact with food and utensils. Avoid contact with eyes. Before using product throughout your home, use in one room and wait 24 hours to ensure that no one has any physical reactions to the product. Extremely flammable-- keep away from fire, sparks and heated surfaces. Do not puncture or incinerate container. Exposure to temperatures above 120 F may cause bursting. Asthma and allergy sufferers should consult their physician befor using this product.

Ranger-Dude and his nasty little spray can of death better not be there during lunch. That's all I'm sayin'.

A wee bit of knitting.

Well, the stock market free-fall on Monday (which was continued on Tuesday!) will have some "interesting" ripple effects. A lot of small boutique and specialty stores tend to fall victim to hard economic times first - like LNSs and yarn stores. Support your local LNS if you can, so it will be there later!

The BBC is running a "Your Pictures - the sartorial sins of your childhood" photo gallery right now. I don't think that many are all *that* bad, since I spent every day of my early childhood in a red turtleneck, red corderoy pants, red sneakers and little red hair-ribbons. My favorite is the following:


I like the idea of Grandma covering all her loved ones with her job lot of maroon wool.

I would've gotten a lot more done on my Twilight Mitts, but the Twilight Author, Stephanie Meyers, has this new book, The Host, which I happened to snag from the library. And, per usual, can't put down. So, no knitting yesterday at lunch...


... and not much on the ride home. Or once *at* home. Thanks to a bit of knitting this morning, on the ride in, I made it to row 60 (of 83).


Can you see any difference from yesterday's photo?
This is a Very Slow Mitten. Having to frog every so often because I've lost my place in the pattern, and kinda winging it on the thumb is lining up some interesting challenges doing Mitt #2!

The Long Weekend, Part II

Oh, man, there was NOT enough knitting over the last three days, let me tell you.

Saturday started waaaaaay too early for a Saturday, because of the huge list of things we needed to do. We started with "blood donation", then "breakfast" and "bank", then "dry cleaning (new place)" then hanging out at the library. This was pretty cool, since it was pretty out, and there's a book sale next week. And I think we chased of a Suspicious Character who was trying all the non-visible-from-the-street doors. Yeah, it could've been an employee - but why did he run when he noticed we were watching him?

The pretty outside

The Book Sale reminder

I also had to take some time to tink back and down to eliminate the Extra Bonus Tree out of Nowhere that I started to knit. Really. The pattern at this point? "Knit whatever you did the last row." And I managed to miss. *Sigh.*


Then back to the reality that was errands (pick up other dry cleaning, mail, food, other stuff, blah, blah, blah). At least Saturday evening, I got to see Amanda and Alysia (Alysia, now-published author of How the Hart Breaks, has been in California for the past year).

Alysia

Amanda

It turned into a Legal Secretary Bitching Session, which was fun. (I don't have much to complain about the folks I work with, but some of the folks I *don't* work with generate great stories!)

Sunday was up early again, but for fun this time: I got to see The Duchess - check out the website for the cool Costume Gallery! I mean, I would've loved to been able to get away with THIS for my wedding dress:


Not so much the hairdo, though. Then the obligatory trip through the local discount stores and the A.C. Moore (all right next to the theater), where my mother found a painting book she wanted:


and a lot of yarn. I had to make her put half of it back. ME. I know. I bought one small ball of sockable yarn and some DPNs since I lost two of my size 3s somewhere near the couch. (If you don't know why I'm just buying more instead of looking, you clearly don't understand the full impact of the "lost somewhere near the couch" statement. You never will.) I even got to watch the Demolition Derby that was disguised as a NASCAR race at Talladega. Ow. Ow, ow, ow. I know some folks watch the races for the crashes, but I'm not one of 'em.

Oh, knitting. Not much of that happened. I got up to the thumb on my first mitt, that's about it:


Hopefully, more progress by tomorrow's post!

The Long Weekend, Part I

The weekend actually started on Friday, because I decided I was going to take the day off, mentally. I would go to work, of course, and actually work - but I wasn't going to worry about anything. It was cold, so I got a chance to wear my lovely Supercashmere hat for the first time:


Seen here, in the wild, with George
Walking in, I discovered that, looking out one of the waterfront office windows, that the long-awaited waterfront park was open as of this morning.


More info on park!
At lunch, I wandered through the park. I found the labyrynth, made it to the center, and managed to annoy a Korean news crew (who clearly didn't realize that some of us Americans have actually made it to Korea - and both learned and remember the swear words).

Upper left; the Labyrinth from a distance. One way in, one path, one way out. It's for meditation; I walked the whole thing, quietly, thinking how nice it was. Lower Left: red arrow indicates Korean news crew. The two women standing on the labyrinth chased the news crew away; they're somehow connected to the Official Opening of the park tomorrow, so you'd think they'd want the news crew around. Above, the center of the Labyrinth. I made it!

I also sat in the sunshine at the very end of the park, and knit for a few minutes (before it got too windy):

There's a great shot of the Watergate (yes, the one from the Nixon scandal!) and the Kennedy Center from this far upriver:

Red arrow:
The Watergate Hotel, with Washington Monument sticking up in the center.
Green arrow:
The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
and the park is dedicated to the following idea:

TKF info here
It's a great idea. I will enjoy this space as long as I'm working at the firm, and I'm glad they were able to get the donations necessary to finish it!