MY Blog

Considering the questionable weather, the Satos had a fairly good weekend.  Saturday, we saw the Yankees beat Seattle at Yankee Stadium.  I’m not a Yankee fan (I much prefer the Bosox), but I do so much more appreciate a game at the stadium to one on the teley, so I’ll take what I can get.

The highlight of the game for us was that Things 1 & 2 appeared on the jumbotron.  Woot.

Thing 3 did not make it to the game.  We only had 4 tickets, so Thing 3 was shuttled off to my sister’s in Queens.  She had sleepover with cousin1.  Cousin 1’s mother is brave.  She hosted Thing 3, entertained her Thing 1 with my Thing 3, and also kept an eye on her own Thing 2 who’s not even 1 yet.  All while BIL was at a cricket tournament in Philly. 

Anyway, one of the best things about the game was the fabulous amount of knitting I got done.  I’m working on two socks on one circ (super duper magic loop, I suppose).

Um, the claw hand is not mine–it belongs to DH.  The sock progress was amazine.  I finished the leg and started on the heel flap by the time we left the parking lot.  Last night I turned the heel, and now I’m on the gusset.  The 2 socks on one circ is a great technique–said to alleviate “2nd sock syndrome.” Unfortunately, I followed the advice of the book’s author and used two different yarns for my first “sample” pair, meaning, I will now probably fall prey to “3rd and 4th sock syndrome.”

BTW, the game was freezing.  I had to dig out winter coats, hats, fingerless mitts, etc. to keep warm.  Therefore, once we shook ourselves free of traffic, we stopped in Palisades Park for some of our favorite Korean soft tofu.

This restaurant specializes in “soft tofu;” it’s served with steamed rice cooked in an earthenware pot.  My soft tofu was “very spicy” (see how red it is).  It was soooooo hot, both in a spicy and warm sense, which was the perfect end to the perfect day.

BTW again, see the white rice in the pot–the rice closest to the bowl gets all hard and crunchy.  At this restaurant, when you’re at that point, the waitress pours some weak tea in your pot, to help you get the rice off and it’s a perfect finish to the hot and spicy meal.  When I lived in Japan,  I loved the crusty rice.  I later learned that there’s a specific vocab word for that type of rice (”okoge” pronounced oh koh gay).  What sorta funny about that word is that it’s slang for girls that hang out with (or stick to the sides of)  gay men.  I know, I know, that’s a random piece of information, but I just like that visual imagery. 

I’m sure you’re all aware that Tuesday night is lesson night here at Modern Yarn.  Yeah, yeah, we’re 2nd class citizens when compared to the lively SnB on Thursdays, but I gotta tell you, Tuesdays are a hoot.

Last week the class worked on knitting two socks at one time on one long circular needle.  This is a variation on the magic loop, and while not that complicated, it’s not easy peasy either (at least at first).

But the group plugged along, and I’m proud to say we were ribbing away by 9pm!  Take a gander:

don’t worry, it’s not you, it’s me. The last post I must have only hit “save” instead of “publish,” so things are a bit outa whack.

Although my knitting mojo’s been in a funk, I’ve actually been making progress on several things. First is the Brighton Bag, the inaugural product of the MY Sunday Knit-alongs. I finished. Not that it was a contest or anything (cuz I’m not competitive like that. . .right!), but I did think that I would peter out before the lining part. Sewing’s not my strong point.

But I plodded along on Sunday night:

You’ll note that I have all my very important tools nearby–my wonderful Necchi sewing machine, appropriately colored thread, pins, and the all important beer. I never sew without a beer–it keeps me thinking everything is going ok.

My round table sucks, so I do a lot of work on the floor.

I’d like to point out my wonderful new iron in this photo. I finally broke down and got a Rowenta. Holy cow, do I love ironing now! I kept ironing the bag lining, it was so much fun.

You’ll also note that my bag lining has absolutely no color in common with the knitted bag. So it doesn’t quite match–it does, however, “go,” if not in color, then in attitude. I truly heart this fabric, purchased at Purl Patchwork. The birds just make me happy! The green is there because I didn’t have quite enough bird fabric for the circumference of the bag. Drat. However, it at least “goes.”

Here are the two pieces together:

When I got to the store on Sunday, I added short red Grayson handles. But of course I forgot to take a picture. However, one other knit-alonger brought in her bag (which totally put mine to shame):

I was feeling sorta confident in a sewish way until I saw this beaut. The lining is perfect, and includes pockets. My bag definitely suffers in comparison. I had thought of giving mine to my mother for Mother’s Day, but now I’m re-thinking that.

Ok, the low-down on the Brighton Bag. I used one skein of Louet Euroflax linen, sport weight, in orange and size 6 needles. I made my bag only 9.5″ tall, instead of 13″, and in my lining I didn’t use the fusible interfacing. That was a mistake. Otherwise, I worked the pattern as written. Lastly, since my bag is shorter, I used shorter handles. My mom doesn’t put much on her shoulder.

I’ll leave you with a few shots of my posse’s annual cherry blossom party (on 4/19, in part celebrating thing 3’s birthday).

Here are the blossoms:

Here they are a few hours later:

(note the beer, lower left corner. The Japanese truly understand how to get beer into the mix. There’s nothing better than a lacquer box full of food, bottles full of beer, and trees full of cherry blossoms on a 75 degree day in the park)

And here’s Thing 3 with her post party hangover:

As always, there’ll be more to come.

and call ‘em done. First, my BSJ. I’m not that pleased with this. I used the Koigu KPPPM, but had a hard time with the pattern.

I love the koigu. I don’t love the outcome. I may try it again, although I have an aversion to making the same thing twice.

After the BSJ, I quickly knit up a baby cap using the new Candy yarn from JCA that we got in the shop. It’s a cotton/elastine blend, but not quite as sproingy as Fixation. This was a fun hat (the pattern’s on the label), and the yarn was great (for a cotton).

The pattern is actually knit on straight needles (but I did it in the round), and I added the icord on top. Easy peasy!

Right now, I’m in the throes of the 1st Modern Yarn knitalong–the Brighton bag from Knitty. No photos yet, but I’m using orange. The others in the group (which met for the first time last Sunday) are heavy into both the French blue and aqua. All are looking good! Photos will come next week.

My mojo is gone.  And not just my mojo of the knitting kind.  There’s just a sense of malaise right below the surface and I’m trying not to let it get to me.  Always look on the bright side of life. . .

This week has been full of ups and downs.

On the upside:

Thing 3 turned 4.  Woot!  The day after her birthday, she awoke asking “am I still 4 today?”

On the downside:

That “anteck” bag holds a tiny little gerbil awaiting its owner’s return from vacation.  Nothing sucks more than losing a pet you’re gerbil-sitting for.  (well, let’s put this in perspective–lots of things suck more, but it’s truly disheartening to have to call your business partner to say that “although we valiantly rushed the gerbil to the emergency animal clinic, he died while in our care” and then break that news to children). Thank God DH asked  “hey, what’s this” before opening it the next morning as he was scrounging for breakfast.

And while I’m not feeling the love for any of my knitterly goings-on, I did finish the shell of the Brighton Bag!

This was a good knit.  Mine is not nearly as big as the knitty one, but I wanted more of a handbag than tote, so that works for me.  Brighton Bag is the subject of first MY knitalong, so the next step involves actual sewing machine sewing.  Ha,  good luck with that.

On the slower side, I’m on the 2nd sock of my 3rd pair of sprung socks.

I heart this pattern.  I’m making it my sock pattern of choice.  This time, I’m going toe-up (even though the pattern is cuff-down).  I’m not going to do that again.  I like knitting cuff down better.  Anyway, the yarn was stitches east swag that I traded a MY t-shirt for.  It’s from the Neighborhood Fibre Co.  I really like it–not splitty at all, and this red is a great color.

But I’m feeling the need to get cranking on some other bigger project.  Nothing’s calling out to me so urgently yet.  The cavern cardi is appealing–a slightly bustier version of the cardi Risa’s working on, but I’m just not tempted to cast on yet.  Maybe this is the collective voice of all my UFOs speaking to me (finish me, finish me. . .).

Greg, one of our newest knitters:

Greg came in a few weeks ago to learn to knit.  He made this great charcoal gray scarf in Cascade 128 using a combination of garter and stockinette stitch, and quickly knit up another for his mother.  (awwww, lucky mom!).  Since he’s mastered both knit and purl, making him the envy of his “stuck in garter stitch purgatory” co-workers, he’s ventured on to Brooklyn Tweed’s striped noro scarf.  And, he’s also started a lovely blanket in the blue sky organic cotton.  Let’s just suffice it to say that Greg’s taken to knitting like a duck to water.  Way to go Greg!

And then there’s camera shy Robin.  Robin’s been knitting for over a year, and she’s grown more and more adventurous with each project.  Here’s her finished Pimlico Shrug from Knit2Together.  Robin’s knit this project before, in Malabrigo, but she went for broke on this one (the other was for her daughter, this one was for her). She used the Koigu Kersti (which is what the pattern calls for), and voila:

Ok, so I don’t think there’s anything more beautiful in the world than semi-solid kersti used so well.  Ouch, the beauty’s blinding!

I gotta say, one of the most rewarding things about owning the shop is seeing all the great projects.  Even if my knitting mojo is at a standstill right now, I can live vicariously through everyone else.  And that’s a good thing.

Paige

Today’s weather is just the best, and although the forecast is for seven straight days of rain, I’m happy that spring’s peaking its head out!

I’ve been quiet on the blogging front because of my VIP (very important project). I was knitting a christening gown for my godchild, Cousin 4. I had started this project spontaneously, assuming a few weeks would be enough time. But, even though the pattern was not difficult, I had a horrible time of the second tier lace pattern, ripping it out 11 times (yes, 11!) on the front, and five (!) on the back. For crying out loud, you’d think I’d get it the 2nd time around, but I’m dense like that. All that frogging left me with a back and two sleeves to go only 6 days before the big event. Yikes! But I finished. Woot!

Here’s the dress, pre-blocking.

I used the mulberry silk from Laines du Nord, about 4 skeins (I think). It’s not pure white; it’s more of a champagne color, but my sister, Cousin 4’s mom, didn’t mind. What I love about this dress–there is an eyelet row along the hem of the dress, bodice, sleeves and neckline. I heart this detail–my family’s baptism gown (for which Cousin 4 was too large) was made by my great grandmother for my grandfather in 1914. He wore it, as did his four sisters. Then all their children, and all the children’s children (that’s my generation). My things 1-3 also wore the dress. Thing 3 was actually the last baby to use the dress in 2004 (making it 90 years is a sign of good sewing!). That dress was a simple simple dress with an eyelet row along the sleeves and hem, and either a baby blue or light pink ribbon was strung through the eyelet depending on the sex of the baby. So, although Cousin 4 didn’t get to wear the family gown, this new one at least paid homage to it.

Here’s Cousin 4 in the dress:

Cousin 4 has cheeks that just won’t quit. To the right is Scotland Grandma. To the left (and slightly behind in the door) is Connecticut Grandma. Things 1-3 are very much into place names, and this is often how we identify and differentiate people.

Cousin 4 was christened at the Easter Vigil which is the longest service ever. Wally waited home for everyone

Wally is brother 2’s huge dog. He just sorta lies around, making him the perfect pet. He also patient, and doesn’t mind the ears.

And lastly, a shot of spring:

yes, I do a crap job raking. But the crocus don’t mind!

Now that my obligatory knitting is over, I’m working on my 3rd pair of sprung socks, and a BSJ–my first. Photos later.

So this month Kristen & I were trying to come up with something fun that would also let us make some room for the incoming spring yarns.  Voila–March Madness.

Every week we’ll be putting different yarns on sale, but the discount will be cascading–starting at 30% off on Monday and losing 5% a day until it’s at 10% on Friday.  No discounts on Sat or Sun.

Next week will be some of the Noro yarns.

Oh yeah, there are two other March Madness specials: first, the Koigu’s gone up in price (which affects our most latest and greatest shipment).  But we’re holding off on raising the price until April.  Also, if you buy $75 worth of koigu (either the sock or KPPPM), we’ll give you an extra 10% off.

And, last but not least, March 20 is sweater day in honor of Mr. Rogers’ birthday.  Now who doesn’t love Mr. Rogers?  (or should I be asking, who would admit to not loving Mr. Rogers)?  Anyway, to celebrate, we’re offering 20% off any sweater project bought at the store this month.  (this 20% will supercede the 10% koigu discount if you choose to make your sweater in koigu).

March on, march madness.

post more often–stuff just keeps building up, and then the thought of getting it all out there, with pics and all, becomes paralyzing.  Plus, I’m on a deadline with a project, so any time spent doing something else is time spent not knitting the VIP (very important project).

First, I finished the Vine Cardigan.  The pattern is from Clara’s The Book of Yarn.  I heart this book.  It’s chock full o’ great info and patterns.  I fell in love with the vine cardi, which is done (in the book) in angora.  I subbed the Blue Sky brushed suri in an icy light blue.  I added buttons.  I gave up on the applied i-cord around the front/neck, and crocheted instead.  The brushed suri was great to knit with–it’s not so great to rip out, and the applied i-cord was a mess.

Here’s another shot.  I’m trying to get more artistic in my photography.  I don’t think it’s working.

The sweater’s called the vine cardigan b/c of the lacey vine pattern in place of raglan decreases.  I love this detail.  It totally makes the sweater for me.  Incidentally, it’s a cropped, 3/4 sleeve pattern, making it light enough for chilly spring-time wearing.  I wore it monday when it was 56 out.  Perfect!

In other news, DH and I celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary today.  My gift to him was 14 clocks.  DH totally hearts wall clocks.  The very ugly cheap kind.  I don’t think he ever spent more than $3.99 on a clock.  He gets them at Duane Reade. Yes, Duane Reade–you know, they are known for their clocks.  Oh, and not only does he buy ugly clocks, he hangs them in odd places. A few weeks ago, he hung yet another fantastic clock on the wire hook I use to hang our Christmas wreath over our beautiful and original (to the house) 90+ year old stained glass window.  I got so angry, I shouted at him that he “was surrounding me with ugly.”  Possibly not the best choice of words.

So, I thought for our anniversary I’d get DH a nice wall clock.  But yesterday, when thinking about it, I realized that a wall clock for a present was just one step up on the food chain from a humidifier (another story there–but yes, I did get one of those as an anniversary gift early on–not a good year).  Then it dawned on me–14 wall clocks.  Now that’s a good gift.  So after work, I bundled up Things 1-3 and off we went to Target for some clock shopping.  Boy was that fun.  Target had a wide variety of clocks–large and small.

After returning home, we stealthily wrapped the clocks and hid them under Thing 2’s bed.  We awoke early this morning, and then hid the clocks around the house (in DH’s underwear drawer, closet, fridge, shower, etc.). Ha.  What a fun treat that was.  Here we are, all 14 clocks having been found:

Thing 3’s fave was the Hannah Montana clock. It has a boa–trust me.  DH kept asking “who’s hannah montana, and why does she have a clock?” Really.

Sadly, not all the clocks made the cut–about 8 were returned back to Target this evening.  Sadly Hannah Montana was one of them.  The big one stayed.

Hopefully, this will keep us all on time for the remainder of ‘08.

Paige

Sometimes I think I’m the luckiest girl in the world. Today the Modern Yarn crew (everyone whose name begins with Kris/Chris, me and Alyssa, Kristen’s sister) got to visit the Martha Stewart show.

We hit some yucky traffic around the tunnel, but everyone was not headed into see Martha, they were getting off in Weehawken (which made us all wonder was was happening in Weehawken today).

Here are Kristen & Alyssa waiting in the cold:

Once inside (which, frankly, took a bit too long in this cold weather), everyone was supposed to get out their show and tell for the producers to peek at. The top projects were going to be shown on camera. And our Christina got chosen! She had designed a tunic dress about a week ago, and just knit like a banchee to get it done.

We all got seated (right on the floor, near the cameras), and Christina got all miked up and put in the first row.

But her nerves got the best of her, and she actually declined to be put on camera! So she was replaced with another project. Oh well. But then Martha caught wind of what happened, and ended up putting her on camera anyway, and asking her a few questions. And Christina rocked!

You can catch Christina, her rockin’ dress, and Martha on Monday, Feb. 25.

After the show, we had great burgers at BRGR.

A great day, spent with great people. And a great burger! All in one afternoon! I’m the luckiest girl in the world.

COVET is complete:

and the back:

and the cute buttons (notice how clever I am):

Can’t wait til Thursday!

It seems like a while since I’ve posted an actual knitting post.  Which seems odd to be because I knit every. single. day.  Yessirree bob, I do.  Usually at lunch, but then again at night after the Things 1-3 are dragged off to bed.

I was hesitant to post photos of my most recent project, because I had grand dreams of actually trying to publish it.  Well forget about that.  I’ve taken notes, but I’m so not eager to try to figure out different sizing, etc.  So I’ll write up the pattern for this and make it available for free at the shop, and it’ll work out for anyone who’s my size (or somewhat close).

Here’s the front (yes, it’s still missing an arm–don’t worry, it’s coming)

bad bad lighting, i know.

Here’s the back:

better better lighting.  Same cam, same light.  huh?

Anyways, I’m calling the sweater “Covet” because it’s modeled after a sweater of Kristen’s that I’ve been coveting now for years.  Hers is a black cardi with a turquoise heart.  My is chocolate brown with pink.

The sweater is a top-down raglan using koigu kersti in the chocolate (should be 8-9 skeins) and the pink is Rowan’s kid classic.  I’m using size 6 needles.  If you take a closer look at the piss-poor photo of the front, you’ll see that I’ve got banded hems and button bands, with a picot edge done in the kid classic.  I HEART this detail. I also HEART the heart.  My co-workers suggested a target instead of a heart, one that could have velcro balls thrown at it, but I demurred.

I’ve still got one arm to go, and I want to wear this on Valentine’s Day, (of this year), so I’ve got to get cranking so I have time to block it.

And the pattern will be available at the shop by the end of the month.

Paige

Instead of the Superball, we’ll be hosting Super Sock Sunday, this (um) Sunday (duh!) from noon to 6pm.  It’s time to show that sock love–sit and knit some socks, show yours off, or even learn to manipulate the dreaded dpns.  And you’ll get extra points for any socks in Giants or Patriots colors (which I think are the same–blue, red and white). We’ll be on hand with teaching, tips, and, of course, snacks!  Oh, and yup, there’ll be discount on the sock yarn. 

Hope to see ya!

that episode of Seinfeld (am I dating myself by referring to Seinfeld?) where Jerry is upset because he throws up, breaking his really long record of not puking. Well that’s what I felt like this past Thursday. Not the throwing up part. No, the record-breaking part.

You see, I got my first ever ticket. . .ever. I’ve been driving since I’ve been 16. For 25 years I’ve traveled many many many miles. In many many many countries and even Guam (betcha can’t even name anyone who’s driven in Guam) for crying out loud. Where did I get nailed? Exit 148 on the GSP. Arg.

On my morning commute, I get on the parkway at 148. It’s hard to merge there, and usually I’m stuck in the entrance lane til at least exit 149, cuz no-one’s budging an inch to let me in. That’s because we NJ folk are very very eager to get to work. Anyway, I spent too long driving in the entrance lane (which by exit 149 switches to an exit lane). The trooper was hanging out there and he nailed me. Of course he did not get the dozens of goons for failure to yield. But, he must have been nearing his quota, cuz he let me off with a “delaying traffic” violation (with no points) instead of a traveling in the breakdown lane (which comes with 2 point). So there it goes–my driving streak, right out the window, and DH wins yet another contest (he thus far remains ticketless, and accident-less, a streak I’ve broken several times)

My carma’s karma’s been shot over the past week. It all started on Saturday, when I got a ticket in NYC. Of course, earlier when DH started to leave Dylans to get back to the car, I told him “don’t worry.” And somehow we got an EZPass violation.

Here’s the evidence of my traffic headache:

argh.

The thought of posting is actually mind-numbing. Of course, I’ve got to have a photo, which means actually taking the time to take a picture of what I’m knitting. I barely take photos of my kids, but then again, they move a lot more than WIPs. . .Anyway, after taking the photo, that means downloading it into iPhoto, editing (if it needs it), uploading it into flickr, blah blah blah. It also involves actually hunting down the damn cord that connects the camera to the mac.

Luckily for me I found the perfect Christmas gift for DH.

It’s called “hubman.” He connects to the computer’s USB port, and has four extensions. I heart hubman. Because of hubman, I no longer have to hunt for my camera cord. It’s always connected. I also heart hubman becaue the little light that indicates that he’s on is actually where his heart should be. And although the photo doesn’t show it, his face has eyes and a smile. Hubman rules. I’m a good gift giver.

The point, though, is that I am actually knitting. I’m working on the cropped cardi from Clara Parkes’ The Book of Yarn. I heart this book. And this sweater (the name of which I can’t remember).

Anywho, the sweater in the book is made of angora. I’m subbing our Blue Sky Alpacas Brushed Suri in a silverish-bluish color. Can I just say how freakin’ much I’m loving this yarn. And sweater. It’s knit at 5.5 st to the inch, which makes the fabric oh-so-plush. And the brushed suri is like knitting a kitten.

I’m slightly conflicted though. The pattern is 3/4 sleeve and cropped at the waist, too. I can understand why–the yarn is WARM WARM WARM. But, when trying on the arm for length (because in a former life I think I was a gorilla, and I actually kept the arms when I passed over), I just fell in love with how the sleeve looks long:

I really think I need a long sleeve turtleneck out of this. I think it can be done–it’s soft enough that you’d only need a cami underneath. (this is how I’m justifying this next project in my head). (edited to add: just realized that my hand looks like senor wences (sp?) HA!)
Oh, and I learned something new about my knitting, too. My gauge is always loose, but on dpns (for the sleeves), I had to go down to size 3s to get 5.5 st to the inch. Who’da thunk? I’m on 5s for the body, thank god. Only about 6.5″ to go before joining the sleeves for the yoke top. (grin! woot!)

my first FO for 08.

the dress isn’t lumpy, it’s thing 3’s body.  she’s not her best early in the morning.  And I can report that after a day at nursery school, the dress has held up nicely.  Amen to that.

The pattern is from Easy Knits for Kids, the yarn is Cascade Eco Wool in fuschia.  The trim is  Cascade’s Dolly held double.  Easy pattern (size 10 needles), and I’m pleased, as is Thing 3.  The great thing about Eco Wool is that it comes in a hank of nearly 500 yards–so one hank did it for me.  Easy peasy and cheap too!

Last year I was shameless and paraded all my UFOs in front of the whole wide web.  I’m pleased to say that I finished not one of those projects.  Not one.  And I’ve officially cut bait on those.  My resolution for this year is to let the yarn inspire me and not be guilted by my growing UFO list.  Right now I’m working on some mitts for Thing 1, and when I’m done with that, I’ve got a brushed suri project (from the Knitter’s Book of Yarn) that’s shouting my name.  maybe.  The koigu kersti is also screaming loudly.

Too much lipstick, ya think?

Originally uploaded by ModernYarn

And a happy new year to everyone from all of us at Modern Yarn (and thing 3)! This was the result of the princess make-up kit. luckily for the general public we’ve already used up all four colors. Bobbi Brown watch out.

Blanket 1

Originally uploaded by ModernYarn
this month has been spent making these–4, in fact, in a variety of colors and bindings. The blanket is organic wool in a 65″ width. I borrowed the idea from Purl, and used the organic wool from O-Wool. This particular binding was from fabric Bro #2 had chosen long, long, long ago for a quilt I was going to make him. The quilt’s still rolled up in a pile on my wardrobe. (this is truly sad–the entire thing’s together, I only need to quilt it, for crying out loud). This binding is the left-over backing from that project.

But I can’t quite figure out how to add more than one photo from Flickr, so bear with me as I add blankets 2-4:

and #3

and last but not least:

I can tell I’m too old for all this (not the sewing, the tech stuff)–I’ve got a headache now.

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.  I’m testing out the “blog this” feature Dorre was so kind to share at Knit & Nog!

“did she ever finish Thing 3’s stocking?!!” Well the answer to that is “yessiree bob!”

Ta-da!

And I’m pleased to report that all three stockings held ample awkwardly wrapped stuff!

is just so busy. With events throughout (like our knit & nog tonight!), my crunch time knitting and sewing is suffering. And, I just have to remark that after sewing these projects (photos coming soon) for my sibs, I’m so glad I’ve got knitting to fall back on. I’m not so good at sewing. The huge mound of discarded thread to the right of my machine is the best indicator. And the bobbin. Don’t even get me started.

Anyhow, yesterday at my other job we held a gift exchange. This was so much fun. Everyone wrote out a wish list, and then the company cut $100 checks to everyone. Then we picked names and you spent your $100 on the person whose name you chose. And you had to choose from their list. I had Alex. I got him a cute tie, an iTunes gift card, and I made him this:

Here he is modeling it:

Giving is tons of fun (of course), but so is receiving. Adam had my name. Boy he’s a good shopper (although I do have to say, I’m a pretty good list maker–my list was a take on “my favorite things” from my favorite movie–The Sound of Music). Here’s what I said was one of my favorites, along the lines of “whiskers on kittens”:

But take a peek at the inside: this is the best!:

Ok. Converse just ROCKS! And so does Adam! Excellent cats on the inside! Woo-hoo!

Paige

but there’s still some time for fun. 

First and foremost, Thursday night (12/20) at 7:oopm starts the annual Modern Yarn Knit & Nog.  No, you don’t have to knit, nor do you have to drink the nog (although personally, I love it almost as much as fruitcake).  But there will be nog on hand.  And knitting getting done.

The added bonus–you will get to play with the Koigu!  Woot!  It finally showed up on Monday.  And it’s just freaking lovely:

We got about an equal amount of sock yarn and Kersti, which is a dk weight.  We got a lot of the speckled stuff, my & Kristen’s fave. 

Oh, and my holiday knitting got knocked back about a week as I whipped up some surprises for my co-workers (that are being distributed today):

I hope they like them.

There’s this excellent article about the hand-made movement in this Sunday’s NYT, which I get on Saturdays, and one of the premises for the explosion of the crafting industry is seen as being anti-big corporation/mass production, etc.

I get the point, but OMG.  I am hugely anti-big corporation BECAUSE THEY ARE SUCH FAILURES AT WHAT THEY DO (yes, I’m yelling).

Honestly, you do not even want to hear my Verizon story (because I’m actually going to write it up and sell it to Saturday Night Live it’s so freaking ridiculous).

And now UPS.  Actually, I’ve always had a deep-seeded dislike for UPS, no matter how nice the delivery guys are.  Ever since they made me drive out to Parisippany on December 21 during rush hour to pick up a package they had failed to deliver, despite pleas from both the sender (apple–the only big company that has, so far, knock on wood, not let me down) and myself that it would be ok to not require a signature.

And again, this year, as our Koigu was shipped “3-day select,” a guaranteed 3-day service, meaning that having left Koigu Nation on Tuesday, it would be in Montclair, guaranteed, on Friday.  Hah.  Guarantee means squat to UPS.  And all that “track your own package crap?” Yup, it’s exactly that.  Those scans mean absolutely nothing.  They are not indicators of where your package actually is, it’s an indicator of where it should LOGICALLY be.  Huh.  Logic tells me that if I PAY for “3 Day Select” then my freaking yarn should be IN MY SHOP in three days.   That’s logic.  That my yarn is actually in a sealed container in the Meadowlands IS NOT LOGICAL!

So sadly, the Koigu won’t get here til Monday we’re told.  But all bets are off.  Because I honestly can’t say that I believe Brown any further than I can throw them.

Going off the grid is so appealing right now.

The koigu has f*in’ SHIPPED!  It will be here Friday!!!!

so Kristen & I had some good news today.  It appears that we’re finally OFF the Koigu waiting list, and our order is being dyed.  No word as yet as to how long this dying process takes, or what the ETA of our order is, but rest assured, Koigu is bound for Modern Yarn!  Woo-hoo!  Now if that’s not a reason to be cheery, I don’t know what is!

And to continue along in the “it’s all about me” category, my to-do list just keeps growing.  And I’m sacrificing everything else for the sake of knitting.

Here are two things I’ve (almost) completed, though:

The first is my noro silk garden 1×1 rib scarf, (duh moment for this inspired use of Noro courtesy of brooklyntweed).  Although 1×1 rib is the bane of my knitting existence, I’m putting up with it just cuz of the wonderful play on color.

Then, just as I predicted.  I promptly finished Christmas Stocking #2 (for Thing 2), and have yet to cast on for Thing 3’s.

Here is DH modeling Stockings 1 & 2:

Neither is blocked.  You’ll notice DH has very big calves.  He could definitely not wear tall boots.  The socks, however, fit nicely.  Hmmm, maybe some slippers will get added to the list.

So keep your fingers crossed that the Koigu will get here soon and that Thing 3 will get her stocking!

that I just about fell off the face of the earth.  Close, but not really.  Just busy.  And I keep adding to the busy-ness by setting super realistic goals for myself.  Like, for example, making all my Christmas gifts this year (’cuz it’s the year of “make” in my family).  That’s 12 I had thought I would be knitting for, but then I got a different/better idea for the adults, and that involves sewing.  So, instead, I’m knitting for four kiddos, plus Things 1-3.  Not bad.  Not good, but not bad either.  I’m done with hats for two of the cousins:

The blue hat is foliage done in Malabrigo’s worsted in surf blue.  I used the stitch count for the chunky to come up with a smaller toddler-size hat.  And I did 2 1/2 repeats after the increases.   I heart foliage.  Truly a great pattern, easy to work up, and in a hand-dyed or hand-painted, it comes out so awesome. The slipped stitches hat was from a kit I picked up at Stitches in Oct.  Very soft merino from a Michigan farm.

the piggy purse for one more:

and I’m finishing up (finally) the morehouse classybaby blanket that I started, oh, 18 months ago or so.

Thrown into the mix is my goal to knit Things 1-3 their own Christmas stockings.  I know, I know, it’s like the cobbler’s kids going barefoot. But in my defense, my kids do have hand-made stockings, just quilted.  Actually, I did knit Sam a Christmas stocking for his 2nd Christmas (he was born on his first), but it just keep stretching and stretching, I thought that a quilted stocking would better hold its shape and also make stuffing it less worrisome.  The problem was that it didn’t have any give AT ALL, so fitting anything into it started to become an issue.  Thus the handknit stockings.  But I’m a bit fussy about my projects, and after seeing Risa’s great colorwork, I had a hankering to do some fair isle.  Which lead me to this:

This is Sam’s  (it’s not blocked), and per aforementioned Risa’s instructions, I immediately cast on for the 2nd.  Too bad this lady’s got 3 feet things. All in all, the stocking took about four nights of knitting.  Two for the top, one for the heel, and one for the foot/toe.  Tonight my goal is to get to the heel on Thing 2’s stocking, the heel on Sat. night and the foot/toe on Sunday.  Leaving a bit more than 3 weeks to finish up Thing 3’s.  Which, knowing me, will get finished on 12/24.   I always peter out like that.

FYI, the stocking is from Judy’s Colorworks of Farmington, Maine.  We got her kits in the store–she’s just fab at putting together great colors and fun fair isle.  Size 4 16″ needles.  I like this pattern, and I don’t think it will get that saggy because of the fair isle (as opposed to the intarsia santa I had knit better).  The wool she supplies in the kit is a great cushy dk, kinda scratchy, but I like that for the structure.

In non-knitting news, we had a glitch (otherwise known as DH) thrown into our usual Thanksgiving plans, so we were home this year, instead of CT.  I was happy to not have to battle 1-95 traffic, but in all honesty, I’m a bit dependent on my mother’s excellent cooking.  Anyway, since we were going to be here and not on 1-95 on Wed night, I took the kids to see the annual inflating of the balloons.  Ina was smart and went during the day.  I was not so smart and ended up herding Things 1-3, grandma Sato and later, DH (yes, we were actually able to meet up amidst the huge crowd) through 1 million people.

This was the line.

We finally did get there:

That’s Hello Kitty Supercute behind us.  I heart Hello Kitty.  I also heart that my closest friend is named Kitty, and just being able to say to her “hello, Kitty” makes me smile.

Paige

(every time I get in the car ready to embark to Stonington) that the trip to eastern Connecticut really can’t get any worse than the last time I did it.  I mean, really, yeah traffic sucks, but you get through it.  Somehow, it’s just part of living in this area.

Never, in my wildest dreams, though, did I ever think it would take SIX FREAKIN’ HOURS to travel the 100 miles as it did last Friday. Yup.  SIX FREAKIN’ HOURS!   Back in the day, I could get from Edgewater to Maine in less time. And that’s uphil, both ways.
Last Friday was the day my sibs and I were going to surprise our father (aka Big Jim) for his 65th birthday.  His birthday is actually on Halloween, but since it was conveniently situated on a Wednesday this year, we had to postpone any plans til the weekend.  Making it that much more of a surprise.

The big surprise was going to be that we would show up, en masse, chez Big Jim dressed just like him.  Because Big Jim, while now 65, has worn the same outfit (or a slight variation of) ever since I can remember.  The outfit consists of a Brooks Brothers blue pinpoint oxford shirt, khakis and docksiders.  Sometimes he lives on the edge and subs a blue and white striped oxford for the blue. Big Jim also resembles (slightly) Daddy Warbucks. See:

This is Big Jim getting plenty of exercise in Scotland two summers ago.  Note the blue shirt, khakis and docksiders.  Things don’t change, even on vacation.

So, the sibs and I put all our respective families together in blue and khaki, to show up at Big Jim’s door two days late for Halloween.  The plan was to get there at 6.  Sib 2 and fiance come from Chicago, so we had to account for any flight delays.

Coming from Chicago was the least of our worries.  1-95 should always take precedence over air traffic.  Especially when there’s a major tanker truck accident at 10am that SHUT THE FREAKIN’ HIGHWAY DOWN until the next morning.  So, our normally 2.5 hour trip ended up taking 6 hours.

Here’s my patient chauffeur:

And Things 1 and 3 bellowing out the lyrics to It’s a Hard Knock Life (now our family theme song):

Thing 3’s not wearing her blue shirt.  She spilled in NJ.  I stopped to wash it out and it’s drying in back.  Lucky for us we had six hours to line dry our laundry.

Eventually we all got there, and got ready to surprise Big Jim.

This is sib 2 and BIL 1. Notice the bald wigs.  When the sibs and I do something, we go all out.   I should mention that very little shopping was done to get us all in these outfits.  Apples don’t fall far from the trees.  We all have our fair share of blue shirts and khaki pants.

(note to self: never let a shortie take a photo from below–love the family chins here)

This is SIL1 with Cousin 2. They hit traffic in Boston, but it did not even compare to the hell drive from NJ.  But in addition to driving with a 2 yr old and 5 month old, they had a four yr old Bernese Mt. Dog (capital D cuz it’s so huge) with them.

Thing 2 actually won the prize for looking most like Big Jim–both had striped shirts!

Mrs. Big Jim was actually in on the plan, and had dinner waiting for the chillun with teeth:

Notice the “are you done with that yet” look from Thing 3 to Cousin 2. Watch out Cousin 2, your dinner’s in danger.

Then Things 1-3 and Cousins 1-4 got their picture taken with Big Jim:

Yes, Thing 3 is dancing.   No, cousins 6 & 7 are not twins, just both changed into yellow. (cousin 6 belongs to sib 2, cousin 7 to sib 3).

The future does not bode well for cousin 6 (a young lady).

She’s scarily too much like baby Big Jim (taken 5/30/43):

Yikes.

So, while the drive was frustrating beyond belief, the end result rocked.  And I almost got to the heel turn on my latest sock.  Photos later.

while Things 1-3 get much coverage on the MY blog, they are not the only children involved in the store.  Kristen has a Thing 1 and 2 of her own, and they are much more clever, witty, and cute than my Things 1-3.  However (and herein lies the difference), I’ve got the blog’s username and password (and choose to use it), therefore my Things 1-3 are much more visible.

So, here are Sato Thing 1, 2, and 3 on Halloween, just prior to dispersing, since Things 1 & 2 did not want to trick-or-treat with mommy dearest:

See Thing 2’s glare?  It’s becoming prevalent.  She’s a definitely practicing for teenager-hood.

Same Thing 2, same glare.  Kinda creepy.  I’m doomed.

But in knitting news–I finished the pig!

Prefelting.

Post felting:

I made lots of changes to Noni’s pattern.  I knit some icords for the handles (the bag’s for a not-quite-3-yr-old, for crying out loud, I’m not spending too much time on this), and I’m going to use a magnetic clasp instead of a zipper.  All in all, I think this is a bag that will inspire much crying–it already has from Thing 3 who gravitates towards things pink.   Ah, yes, another great holiday in store.  Now if we can just move onto the “airing of the grievances.”

Ah, to relish in yet another world series victory.  Woo-hoo Red Sox Nation.  And a big bronx cheer to A-Rod and that lousy Boras guy.  You’d think professional cheats athletes would know a thing or two about timing.  Hmm.  Maybe professional is the operative word.

Anyway, to get to the point of this post–since Kristen & I are New Englanders we are mandated to celebrate the Sox’ sweep over the other team Rockies, and to do so, we’re. . .

Offering 15% off Sox yarn (ha-get it?) until Sunday, and it doesn’t even have to be red.  However, any pinstripe yarn will get 15% added to its price.  And mention the name A-Rod, and we’ll charge you double.  Really.  We will.  Cuz it’s our shop.

Cute photos of knitting to follow trick-or-treating.

But I will admit, I got a bit queasy when Daisuke gave up those two walks in the 6th. So I went to bed, and I’m glad I did because I would have bitten off what’s left of my fingernails by the time the game had ended. But I’ll be watching tonight. After, that is, our EXCELLENT BOOK SIGNING WITH SABRINA FROM KNITKNIT!

Anyway, a while ago, I promised some knitting pics. Here they are:

First is my disappointment, Dinah. Arh. Risa was helpful Thursday night, but I do think I need to rip back a few rows, because after pinning, the arm is still about an inch too long for the set in sleeve. Hmmm.

I vow to finish this piece of crap lovely sweater, but it may have to wait til after the holidays, because yesterday I started to panic. It’s the “year of made gifts” at my family’s house (my parents host Christmas each year for my sibs and myself), and while my sibs (not so much my sister, but the brotherly sibs are all thumbs) may have some lame-o excuse for actually not making anything, I don’t. So I got cracking on:

for Niece #1 (out of 4). Nieces 3 and 4 are still babies, so they’ll get booties, I think. Niece 2 is up in Maine, so maybe a cute top-down raglan. The parents of the nieces just may be out of luck. Or everyone’s getting a hat designed by Jared. Did you see his great hat in the Holiday Interweave?

I did get some practice on the hat/booties thing this weekend too. Blogless yet wicked funny Kelly made a fatal gauge error on a blanket for an upcoming baby shower. The shower is in well advance of the baby’s arrival, so to help her out, I whipped up a hat/bootie combo made from her extra blankie yarn.

Kelly’ll get the blanket done in time for the actual baby. The hat & booties will appease the showeree next weekend.