Knit and the City

Doesn't the title say it all? I'm a 30 something knitter on the West Coast. Expect to read about my life with the guy, two ex-racing greyhounds and a couple of crazy cats!

1/31/2004

I still haven't finished the little sweater. Arm and a half to go. But I do have fabulous hair! I'm convinced I have one eye bigger than the other and that I look like a bit of a dork. Saturday at work. One of the boys didn't show up today. He told everyone he was meeting his friends to party after work. Hm. We reminded him that it was month end and he needed to come to work. So far no call. So we call every hour and leave a message. The longer he takes to call or arrive the madder I get. Hey, I drank a bit of wine last night and I have a bit of a headache and I didn't want to get out of bed this morning but I'm freaking here on my day off to help. The least anyone can do is show up for their shift and be a responsible adult. Nuff said.

1/30/2004

New Hair Update: My ears are freakin' freezing Pics tomorrow!!

I've earned an extra day! It seems my friends will be needing a rental truck for tomorrow. So I won't have to drop it off this afternoon! I'll do my best to finish up tonight and give it to them tomorrow when they come to the office. It's Saturday, you say? Yes...I get to work on Saturday. It's month end and I better pitch in. I may even get to work on Sunday too! Yipee! But look how cute it is! Oh yes! It's new hair day today! Pics tomorrow!

1/28/2004

Good Lord... This was the one night I -had- to be home right after work. 5:45pm a man comes into the office and says (in a heavy accent) 'Call police. No money. Lost ship. Port.' Awwwwww, bloody hell! So 2 cop cars and an ambulance later we find out he's Turkish, speaks almost no English, has 1 dollar American and lots of Turkish money on him, and is feeling a little dizzy. Oh yeah, he's lost his ship and he smokes. I'll have to get the update tomorrow as I left Big B and the Small Strange One to handle it. The other thing was that police'men' can't park worth a damn. They park in the middle of everything! The policewoman parked perfectly out of the way but still close enough to access her car. Are we better at everything? Top Down is about 4 inches and two sleeves away from completion. I hope to get the body done tonight and start those sleeves. My imaginary deadline is Friday, remember? The girls are very complimentary about it. They are nice girls. My pooper Ella has been out of sorts. Monday night when I was getting their dinner, I was barrelling through the kitchen and told Ella to get out of the way. She didn't and her nose met my thigh. Quite a bonk! She yelped and then held up her leg that she broke a couple years ago. I checked her out and she didn't flinch as I poked and prodded. So I let her be. Later in the evening she went to lie down and was crying "ow!ow!ow!". I checked her over again and didn't find anything. She was shaking but no panting. She got up a couple times in the night and cried again as she went to lay down. I left in the morning for work and she seemed to be fine. No panting, no temp, no shivers. The big guy said she was fine when she got up but after she had her lunch she 'pup'chucked and then went and laid out on the hardwood floor. Very weird. By the time I got home she was a little better but still a bit off. So we had dinner over 3 hours. Only giving a bit at a time. She kept it all down and hasn't yelped at all. Today she seems to be back to normal. Hm. She kinda always looks like this so it's hard to tell if she's not feeling well.

1/27/2004

I love this part! When you can visualize the finished product. The end is in sight! This yarn is faboo! It's Patons Canadiana in the Stained Glass Variegated colour. I really like the richness of it. It's the same yarn I made the Fish's hat out of at Christmas. I think it's going to wear like iron. I also made it a couple sizes larger than the kids wearing now. I want him to have it for a few years. I'm going to be out in this friends neck of the woods on Friday. I wonder if I'll be able to finish it by then. I'm not going to give myself a deadline but I will keep it in mind. I've been bringing it to work everyday and working on it on my lunch. Even though I may only knock off a couple rows it means I'm a couple rows closer to the finish. The Small Strange One has somehow thrown her back out and is away today. It's eerily quiet without her. Hm.

1/26/2004

Look how lovely it looks when you do your increases correctly! Here's a closer look. Images from my Clie so not as clear as the boss' digicam. I'm at the part where I separate for the sleeves. I didn't do it last night as I was a little tired and I didn't want to muck it up. Add an 'f' if you'd like. I'm going to try tonight.

1/25/2004

The top down raglan may turn out to be a sucess after all. Amazing that when you get it right it all works together and looks 'right'. Strange but true. I can't thank dear T enough for walking me through the problem I was having. So great that there's folks willing to help you out out there. I probably would have given up knitting at the beginning. I was getting so frustrated at my mistakes and not knowing how to fix them. Thank you everyone for helping me out! You may not know it but you did! Really! What Not To Wear has had an effect on the guy. He trimmed and tweezed his scary eyebrows this week! Very nice and kinda sexy. Subtle. I was very impressed. I think I'll die if he puts on a pair of khakis though. He's a blue jeans kinda guy. I also had to start a new binder for all my patterns I've downloaded. I have a 3 inch binder full! Now I've started another one. Will it still be cool to wear a knitted halter top when I'm 80? At this rate that's how long it will take to complete all I have now. Let alone all I'll get in the future! I may need professional help. Lazy Sunday. Hope you're enjoying it!

1/24/2004

No knit pics today. There's nothing to show you. My little top down raglan is a thread of its former self. After a gazillion emails between Terri and myself it was sorted out and I am now ready to proceed correctly into this little stupid sweater. The things I do for my friends kids! If I get this figured out I should be on the right path to knock off a couple more in the same style and get my kid knitting out of the way for another year. It's funny to be able to see the mistakes in someone else's knitting. I was over at my moms and she was working on a very bright sweater for my neice. I could see that she had twisted her stitches when she attached a new colour. Me! Can you believe it? Did I tell her? I can't remember. It was a while ago. Today I purchased Rogue. I may participate in the knitalong over at Kate's so far as I may knit it at the same time. I have some Philosopher's Wool in a lightish purple. I think it's the grape colour. I've met both Ann and Eugene when they were here for a sewing and craft fair and they are very nice people. It's PBS day for me. So I'll tackle some laundry, knit and watch PBS. It's cooking show day! Love it. Did you think I'd leave without a puppy pic? How do they sleep like that?

1/23/2004

Aw craaap. After seeking advice on my top down raglan from Terri, we've discovered that I am doing the increases wrong! Here's how not to do it. Can you see how the increases are twisting. It seems I'm migrating my marked stitch somehow. So I decided to RIPPIT all the way back and start again tonight.

1/22/2004

Some days you just have to 'roll with it, baby'. I'm back to where I was on the top down raglan and it looks the same. Which I'm taking to mean that I was doing the increases correctly in the first place. Therefore, that, in turn, herewith, means that I would have been a lot farther along if I hadn't gone all froggie on it's ass. -sigh- Found out that my guy secrectly lauds my knitting to his friends. Sunflower was over the other day and he -had- to show her the Muppet Coat. She even tried it on! Who knew he flaunted my knit bits when I wasn't around? Repeat after me...Best guy e-ver! Work is going good. The girls have it under control. It kinda feels like I'm not needed sometimes. That makes me feel a little sad, and glad at the same time. Lord knows I deserve a bit of a break. Year of the Monkey. May he live long and prosper.

1/21/2004

Okay, okay, okay. So I went to add buttons to my Muppet coat. All good. Then I decided that I needed a closure at the very edge of the collar. Just in case it was really cold I could close up the neck. So I added a crochet loop and a button. Too bad they're on the wrong side! It should run right over left. I did it left over right. Who's a dumbass now? It's all me, baby! Rippit, rippit, rippit. I had a little froggie party last night. My top down raglan was looking a little weird. Instead of doing a simple M1, I thought I'd be a smarty pants and do a lifted increase so there was no hole. Dumbass again! Looked like hell! So I'm back at the beginning of the increases. Which is to say, nowhere. I hope to get back where I was yesterday tonight. Anyone feeling a dog picture drought? Pop on over here. Ella and the guy give it two thumbs up!

1/20/2004

How the hell does this lady knit so fast? I thought I was doing good but she's knockin' off projects left and right! My little top down raglan seems to be coming along well. I've started my increases after the neck and I think it's working out okay. I also was over at Wal-Mart today and ended up buying more yarn! I found some kid coloured yarns and realized I should make my little friends D and J something that fits. I made a couple sweaters for them when I first started knitting and when it said pick up and knit 75 stitches for the collar that I thought it was okay to do only 65 stitches. Yup, the neck of the sweater barely fit over their little heads. Would've been better if they had no ears. You know what I mean? I think I have pictures somewhere of those. So I'm going to try again. I picked up nice and soft 100 percent acrylic yarn too. Last time I used a wool blend and it was too itchy. Live and learn. Ungrateful liitle brats! Just kidding. They are my favourites out of all my friends kids. Puppy pic of the day. Ella.

1/19/2004

I can't remember the words to The Muppet Show theme song but hum it your head for me! I love it! Next a top down raglan for another friends kid. I did my swatch last night. Yes-I said swatch. New Years Resolution #2-Swatch before every project. I'm noticing a trend here. All the other couples are having babies. Not me! No worries, I get to be Auntie Ande to all of them. It's too fun! I'm trying my hand at matchmaking. I spied a very beautiful cat over at Michelle's.I really think her kitty and my kitty should hook up! Who could resist this? And he's neutered!

Okay, okay, okay. It's really finished now. Can I say that even though I haven't found buttons for it yet? Pics will be posted at 6pm PST. It took me 10 days to finish. Does that mean I'm a fast knitter? Who knows? Have a great day! See you at 6!

1/18/2004

It's finished! Well, almost. The Muppet Coat needs to be seamed and the collar needs to be added on. I did finish all the weaving in of the ends and I think it's gonna be grand! I just about sweat my socks off while I was working on it! That alone makes me very happy as I'm always freezing. Photo shoot this afternoon! Pics tomorrow! So lil sis wasn't in an accident she just didn't call in. She was working at her other job and forgot her cell phone and didn't really know if she was scheduled and couldn't get a hold of Big B and didn't think to call anyone else and and and. I decided that we'll just end it here. I'll have her record of employment sent out with her final paycheque. I sleep better when the guy is working in the studio. It's directly under the bedroom and even if he gets noisy I don't wake up and I sleep through the night like a tiny baby. Aaahhh. I also found a new favourite treat. Edamame. Yup. Soybeans. Yum! I get mine at the Japanese foods store in the freezer section. Already parboiled you just defrost and enjoy! Holy Yum! I love em. Seaming Muppets are calling me!

1/16/2004

Lil sis is supposed to work one day a week until we find someone to replace her. Last week she called in because she had an interview. This week no call. I called her but got her voicemail. Should I be worried or pissed? So I was watching The Apprentice last night (I think I have a sick fascination with Donald Trump, it's the hair) and I was shocked at a comment that was made. Two girls (one white, one African American)were snapping back and forth and (the African American) one said something like you don't have to be a bitch about it and the other (white) girl threw back the old saying 'Ain't that the pot calling the kettle black!' All of a sudden it was a race issue. The African American girl was accusing the other girl of using racial slurs. I'm, like, wait a minute, did I miss something? Does someone need to explain the history of the saying? That it's from a time when we (all) cooked over open fires and all the pots, pans and kettles got blackened with soot? It was an interesting moment to see. I felt that it was taken out of context. That what the (white) girl was saying is that 'You're being a bitch, too!' Interpretation. Hm. The guy is off for a week. But he's promising to work in the studio and record some of his new tunes. Phew. I don't think I could put up with a week of 'crankypants'. He seems very happy to be back at it. Yahoo! Muppet Coat moves ever forward to completion. A sleeve and a half and a collar to the end. Not far now! I was also over here and I spied this. Good God, a hoodie with cables. I think I died and went to heaven.

1/15/2004

What a surprise! Today I received a nice email from this lady encouraging me to actually pull this out and take a stab at it. Maybe...maybe. It still frightens the hell out of me. My Muppet Coat is almost finished. I really do believe by the end of the weekend I'll have it done and ready for the big reveal! Oh crap, I've got to go find buttons for it. Sheesh. There is -no- fabric store near here. If there is I don't know about it. I saw in the paper the All Star Survivor list. Evil Jerry's going to be on! I don't know how I'll be able to stand watching it. Maybe she'll get booted first! I'm going to have to watch to find out. Unlike Terri who swears she won't watch. Anyone want to wager?

1/13/2004

HooWee! This boy gets cuter everytime I meet him. Next time I must ask for a photo. Last night the guy and I went for sushi at our favourite place. It has one of those conveyor belts that runs the sushi around the bar. Love it! He once again asked me to see LOTR:The Return of the King and I again turned him down. I did let him rent Bad Boys II and we howled! It was pretty funny and I thought the action sequences were great and real. None of that crappy digital imagery that doesn't look right and what they used of it was perfect. The guy woke up at 3 am and started to look out all the windows. I woke up and was thinking "Are we getting broken into?" He came back to bed and told me that he swore he heard gunshots or some -big- firecrackers. Yep, I heard it on the news this morning. Those were gunshots! Yikes! A block away from our house! What the heck is this world coming to? And last note I just set my favourite pot on fire. I had my artichokes in the steamer basket steaming away and forgot about it. Guess what happens when there's no more water? Fuck me. That's the second time we've tried to kill it. The guy's done it once too. Sheeeit.

1/12/2004

As I said in a previous post, no pictures of the NYMSC until the project is completed! I've decided to rename it The Muppet Coat. It's not really hairy but brightly coloured like my furry Muppet friends! I did show my swatch I did for it to the girls (don't pass out-I did a swatch!) and they thought it was pretty great. They were surprised I was making something for myself! Besides the usual weekender stuff, slippers, hats, scarves. So far I've done the back, right front and am about 1/4 into the left front. At this pace I could be done by next week! So I do have photos that involve knitwear. Here's the Monk on the guys tummy. Please note the beautiful hand knit sweater he's wearing. One of my first. This sweater also doubles as a dog warmer. Toasty Ella! And here's how Sarah feels about all the attention everyone else seems to be getting.

1/10/2004

Ugh...I may never eat again! I'm still full! It was soooo good. And now there's lots of yummy leftovers. -sigh- Update on NYMSC later. Watched Out of Time last night with Denzel Washington. He hits my yummy list too. Aside from him the movie was so-so. I thought it dragged a little and the action was just kinda there. Nothing too exciting. Well, except seeing Denzel's cute heinie jogging away from the camera! He's my new chocolate sundae. Mm-mm-mm.

1/09/2004

The guy has the night off! Yahoo! We're going out for dinner. Memphis Blues BBQ House. I can't freaking wait! The guy also wanted to see LOTR: The Return of the King but I don't think that after being on my feet all day I should spend my whole night on my ass. So we'll rent something. That way I can KNIT! I have no idea what's happened to me this year but I'm sensing lots of projects getting completed. I also wanted to say I can't help but gloat about my Sasquatch Slippers. They totally rock! Off to the NYMSC!

One last pic of some happy feet. They are sooooo comfy and warm! Now I'm onto a new project. I decided to make the 'Not Your Mother's Suit Coat' from The Purl Stitch by Sally Melville. It's going rather quickly. I'm using yarns held together. A black and a hot pink with strands of blue, yellow and orange in it. It sounds scary and it looks it from this photo on my leopard print chaise but it really is pretty neat. No more photos till it's finished I think. I may scare myself out of finishing it! Last pic. 'How many times have I told you? Don't eat the puppy!'

1/08/2004

They're finished! Well worth the wait I think! Here's the clogs pre-felt. This pattern is available from Fiber Trends. It's really easy! That's me doing some funky yoga to get my foot on the washer! Here's the original pair I made for the guy. I used Lopi as suggested in the pattern but I wouldn't recommend it. As you can see from the pics it just doesn't work. Maybe if you didn't double the yarn as called for in the pattern. Dare to compare! I made these using Patons Classic Wool. Felts beautifully and knits up great! Aren't they gorgeous! Now what am I going to do next?

1/07/2004

If you're talking to someone on the phone and asking them math questions about taxes and total bills and Provincial Rental Levy while the office is a zoo and they give an incorrect answer do you say 'What are you? Stupid?' to their ear or do you come up with another way to tell them they're wrong or suggest that they sound distracted and ask them to call back after they've had a moment to look at it? I guess not everyone realizes that if you're nice about a customer service issue it'll get you way farther than being a bitch about it. The guy's offering leftovers for dinner but he's calling it Glop. Sounds yummy, doesn't it? I have not finished my Sasquatch Slippers. I was too tired last night to do anything other than pick up the stitches around the edge of the sole. I still don't know what to do next. Do I do another Kid-sized Cable for the ex's other son right away or do I do something for me? Yep, that descision was hard. Now what am I going to make for me?

1/06/2004

Craptastic! That was how the day went today. We have had a heavy snowfall warning in effect since last night. Temps started out today at -9 and have slowly risen to just below 0. A nice fluffy dump started at about 9 am and continued through most of the day. At the end of the workday it was freezing rain. Nice. I think my toes are beginning to thaw out. My head is still itching from my toque. I'm also tired of answering every call with "No, I'm sorry I'm sold out of SUV's today." I really will finish the Sasquatch Slippers tonight. I just have to make the outer sole and then felt. The guy rented A Mighty Wind last night. Ha! I thought it was great. I've loved Christopher Guest since Waiting For Guffman. Eugene Levy was fantastic and really managed to bring a lot to his character and made you feel his emotions. Really!

1/05/2004

Beware! Large knitting content! Le Cable du Bebe! Can you see my mistake? Doesn't bother me that much. This will be off in the mail tomorrow! Next! Ooga Booga Bag! Here's the blocking photo off the Clie. Here's the finished product! A beauty! Now, about the weather. -14 degrees is just a tad chilly for me! The Sasquatch Slippers should be done tonight. I'm on the cuff of the second slipper. That and the sole plus a little felting action and I'm going to have happy, happy feet! Stay Warm!

1/04/2004

I finished the Baby Cable! I washed and blocked it and it didn't come apart! Pictures tomorrow! I also started a pair of Sasquatch Slippers for myself instead of Fuzzy Feet. Hellooo Harry and the Hendersons!

1/03/2004

More snow! Only about 2 cm for us but it's cold! Our neighbourhood has become a skating rink. It's solid ice on all the side streets and a JOY to try and drive in! So I'm not. I made the guy drive to the mall and then I escaped to the italian deli and back safely and will stay holed up in the house. I finished to Ooga Booga bag and have already received a compliment on it. And it wasn't from the guy! I'm thinking of shortening the handle and making it more of a hand bag than a shoulder bag. I'll think about it. I've finished the collar of the Baby Cable and all that's left is the seaming. I picked up some more classic wool and will try a pair of felted clogs for me. I also picked up this book. I love this cabled hoodie on the front. I have some indigo dyed cotton that I think would be fantastic for this. I also have some grey Lion Brand Wool-Ease or I even have some Philosopher's Wool in a great plummy/purply shade. So now I fret about what to do next.

1/02/2004

So much for 4 days away from work. The owner called a meeting for today. As usual it was a 2 and a half hour affair. We got lots accomplished and determined what we're going to do for the next few months so it was good. My boss is so funny. He says he's going to 'beat me up a little' in this meeting by pointing out something I did wrong. I braced myself for the worst. I was wondering 'How did he find out about that?' but it was, well, nothing. I said 'That's it? You said beat me up. I didn't feel a thing!' He said 'We love you and think you're great! Got another letter today from a customer naming you for great customer service. Here's $50!' Woo Hoo! Point me in the direction of the nearest yarn store! The Ooga Booga bag has been felted and is on it's shoe box drying. Looks good! The neon green is just a nice thin stripe. I was going to stop at the office and pick up the camera but I missed the exit off the freeway. I did get a shot on my Clie but the colours are totally washed out. Also! Finishing the neck shaping on the Baby Cable. I plan to finish up that little one tonight! I was procrastinating because I had to work the cable pattern and bind off and do decreases all at the same time. Scary! So far, so good. I'm counting and keeping place. Thar She Blows! I seem to have blown a toe in my Fuzzy Feet. Damn, I guess I'll have to make another pair. I was thinking of getting some wool to do a pair of felted clogs from Fiber Trends. Paton's Classic Wool should work very well. I used some Lopi for a pair I made for the guy last year and it turned out rather badly. They just wouldn't felt down enough! We call them the Sasquatch Slippers because they're brown, huge, and very furry. I need a picture of them. Maybe I'll put my $50 towards a digital camera. I'm sure I can get one that works for the blog for cheap, cheap. Maybe I'll just bring the one from work home again. That one's free. We're starting a new contest at work. If you fill out your sales tracking paperwork and are applying the steps in the sales process you'll get a raffle ticket for each service you sell. It's a 3 month contest. I LOVE coming up with stuff! First months grand prize, a DVD player, second month's grand prize, a TV, and third months grand prize, a Playstation 2 or X Box! There will also be spot give aways of movie passes and the like. Sometimes it's fun to be the manager! Off to Baby Cable Land!

1/01/2004

Happy New Year! I hope everyone's was safe and happy! We spent a quiet night at home. Actually dragged out a word game called Razzle and played it together. I kicked the guys butt. And I wasn't even trying! I'd find a couple words but I'd wait and let him win a couple. Even so the score at the end was 10 to 1. It was cat and mouse. I told him when we started I played to win but I don't think he really grasped the concept! So maybe we shouldn't play anymore word games. I think I'll go get new questions for the Trivial Pursuit game. We do have Scrabble though. I love words, can't spell them very well sometimes but I do love word games. I wonder if it comes from all the reading I do. I've been a voracious reader all my life since I was very young. In elementary school I can remember going to the library and checking out 14 or 15 Pony Club paperbacks and being back 2 days later having finished them all. It's funny. My brother hates to read and my sister wasn't a big reader either. Maybe, back then, I read to escape all the crap. Hm, the blog brings insight. Cheaper than therapy! Working on the I-cord for the Ooga-Booga bag. I had to put the Ooga in because the colours in the Kureyon go along fine then NEON GREEN comes out of nowhere. I just don't get it. I've had a fear of variegated yarns forever. I like the look of them in a skein but can't handle the knitted version. I was getting over the fear when I bought the Lo Tech pattern and some variegated yarn from Bonne and finished up my LoTech last year. And then I did up the Jester Hat for the Fish. I guess it's love/hate. I do like my Ooga-Booga bag. Maybe I could manage a top down raglan out of the Noro. Hm.