Wild Threads

Tree warmer!

2009-04-02T11:32:00.002-04:00

Ben's dad sent me this... I don't know where, why, or how much yarn was used.

Stolen from The Economist

2008-10-01T14:23:00.002-04:00

So we're in the same category as Iran, and Bolivia is facing criticism from our government and other so-called developed countries for trying to close the gap. It really makes you wonder where global capitalism is taking us.

2008-09-26T11:47:00.003-04:00

I'm off to Maine today for my Grandfather's funeral. He died of a stroke early Wednesday morning. Really, there's not much to be sad about. He was 90 years old and maintained mental capacity and a good quality of life up to the end. When he died, he was outside painting the house and working in his garden. That's how he would have wanted it- he valued hard work and loved his vegetables.

I have these two jars of pickles in my cupboard that Grandpa made about a month ago. They were kind of his signature thing- classic German dill pickles made from cucumbers that he grew himself. And they're the best pickles you could imagine. Nothing commercial can compare. Now I don't know if I can ever bring myself to eat them.

From 1-3-2008

^ Grandpa shoveling his driveway last winter.

Bears!

2008-09-18T09:43:00.002-04:00

Not much on the knitting front, but I went to Shenandoah National Park and saw a black bear!

From Shenandoah

Knittings

2008-08-29T20:43:00.002-04:00

In June I made a shawl for afghans for Afghans and never posted about it.

I only got 30...

2008-08-20T14:41:00.002-04:00

The Omnivore's Hundred:
1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Italicise out any items that you would never consider eating.

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

So I'm not the adventurous eater I thought I was. I italicized items that I found disgusting (usually strange meats), unethical (foi gras), dangerous (fugu), or too spicy (scotch bonnet, phaal). When I googled kaolin it came up as an industrial clay, and clay doesn't sound too appetizing.

:-(

2008-08-15T11:57:00.002-04:00

It has recently come to my attention that I'm a really shitty writer. Crap.

Do dogs have gender?

2008-08-14T14:02:00.003-04:00

I noticed that Franklin's Dogbook page has a 'gender' field. At first I thought that a bit absurd. Franklin is a boy-dog, but that is his sex, not his gender. Sex is biological, gender is an aspect of social identity. Surely Franklin can't have an identity. He doesn't think about what having the vet remove his testicles instead of ovaries means to his relationship with dogs, people, and the rest of the world.

Yet he does have an identity imposed upon him. People define dogs with all kinds of labels: he's a beagle/basset mix, he's a squirrel hunting enthusiast, and he's a boy dog. Just as parents express their child's gender identity by choosing the blue onesie or the pink onesie, Franklin had to have the manly lobster-patterned harness and not the floral one. So must gender be a self-defined category, or can this identity be determined externally?

To further complicate matters, other languages ascribe genders to inanimate objects. In Spanish, plates are male- los platos- while spoons are female- las cucharas. However, it seems the gender applies to the words, not the objects themselves. Spanish-speakers do not think of plates as exhibiting masculne qualities and spoons feminine qualities. Two words that mean the same thing can even have different genders. (A cup can be la tasa or el vaso.)

The difference between animals and tableware is that they have a definable sex, which makes gender assignment seem logical. We use gender to make sense out of the role played by sex, so to make dogs fit into the human world we give them human-like identities. Society gives humans sex-based identities as well. However, when a person's sex and gender are different we must respect that person's self-identification. Dogs cannot form identities, so our conceptions of them are entirely constructed by human society. So, dogs cannot intrinsically have gender, but we can ascribe gender to them and, given our conceptual link between gender and sex, doing so is probably inescapable.

GUNS!

2008-07-30T12:16:00.001-04:00

According to The Economist, the US provides 30% of global weapons exports.

Yup.

2008-07-22T11:54:00.001-04:00

On Gun Control...

2008-06-30T15:38:00.002-04:00

It bothers me that the Supreme Court struck down the DC handgun ban. Putting aside the issues of constitutional interpretation, let's look at gun control's role in public safety.

As gun control opponents are so fond of saying, "if we outlaw guns, only outlaws will have guns." They maintain a romanticized notion that the good guys with guns can fight the bad guys with guns in a self-reliant form of defense and vigilante justice. The problem is that it doesn't end up working that way. A person who obtains a handgun legally, with the best of intentions, has a better chance of winding up with an injured family member than an injured assailant. But the gun makes its owner feels safer, more self-reliant, and more capable of defending his family from the world's evils. The gun's benefit is psychological, not practical.

On the other hand, if we outlaw guns then only the outlaws have guns. This can only make law enforcement easier. It's hard for police to catch a gun-toting felon in the act of misbehaving, but when guns are illegal having one, or being seen with one, becomes probable cause for further investigation.

I'm not a proponent of the police state. I'm a fan of individual liberties. Gun control, as with any control, should only be as stringent as needed to fit the problem that it's intended to solve. In my opinion, DC's murder rate merits the banning of handguns. Public policy should be based on solutions that fit their problems, not blind psychological comfort.

Thoughts on food and sustainability:

2008-06-23T17:03:00.001-04:00

Ultimately, what sustainability requires of us is change in global society as a whole. We need the recovery and reconstitution of community generally, not simply in relation to food. But though we may be able to think like mountains, we must act as human beings. To begin the global task to which we are called, we need some particular place to begin, some particular place to stand, some particular place in which to initiate the small, reformist changes that we can only hope may some day become radically transformative.

We start with food. Given the centrality of food in our lives and its capacity to connect us materially and spiritually to each other and to the earth, we believe that it is a good place to start.

- Wisconsin Foodshed Research Project, Coming Into the Foodshed
Agriculture and Human Values 13:3 (Summer): 33-42, 1996
Jack Kloppenburg, Jr., John Hendrickson and G. W. Stevenson
http://www.cias.wisc.edu/foodshed/pubsntools/comingin.htm

Done!

2008-05-22T10:27:00.002-04:00

Done with the sweater and done with school. It feels good.

Isn't it pretty? Doesn't it fit awesomely? I'm visiting my family on Cape Cod this weekend and I think it will be perfect for the chilly Cape spring.

I also wanted to show off my window garden.

From the left, that's cilantro, spearmint, jade, parsley, and basil.

And here's the obligatory Franklin-looking-cute.

Apparently some TV news shows actual news!

2008-05-11T18:18:00.001-04:00

Desde ahora, voy a mirar las noticias en espanol.

LoL

2008-05-09T13:44:00.002-04:00

I like the concept of caffeine as an alternative fuel source.

Thoughts on gas prices...

2008-05-07T16:23:00.002-04:00

Clinton and McCain's plan to drop the gas tax for the summer is a bad idea that won't actually lower prices for consumers. Bottom line: oil companies operate an oligopoly and demand is inelastic, so savings go to producers instead of consumers.

The environmentalist in me say that rising gas prices are a good thing. They encourage people to conserve and stimulate investment in alternatives. But rising energy prices have the greatest effect on poor people's budgets, and that's not cool. In the long run we can develop public transportation and increase fuel efficiency standards, but in the short run people have to get to work.

The solution: gas stamps. They would operate kinda like food stamps. You buy a stamp at a reduced price (say $2 or $3) that gets you a gallon of gas. The amount of stamps people can buy is limited. You could either have a fixed quantity per person, or a variable quantity based on income and driving needs. It's like a ration, except the quantity allocated to each person is still market-based. If you want more gas than you can buy with your permits, you pay the high market prices. In fact, market prices would likely increase. So, people can drive as they need to and conservation is still encouraged.

Progress on the Sweater

2008-05-06T10:51:00.002-04:00

I've done the front, back, and most of the sleeve. The end is in sight, but I fear the weather will be too hot to wear it by the time it is done. The semester is coming to a close and I have my hands full with term papers. Two of them, a total of ~35 pages, are on Cape Wind. I've really gotten into wind energy this semester. I think it is the best energy source to develop right now. We need clean, secure domestic renewable energy, and the costs of producing wind power are very close to fossil fuels. A carbon tax would probably make wind power the cheapest option. I'm actually toying with the idea of starting a blog all about wind power development in the US, but given how infrequently I update my existing blog, I wonder if I would neglect that project as well. It could be put on the summer project list, but I already have a full time internship, and extensive reading list, a demanding hound dog, and I want to learn web design.

Speaking of the bagle hound:

Isn't he cute!

Link recycled from 3quarksdaily...

2008-03-27T12:40:00.002-04:00

I've changed my mind, at least a bit, about merits of the prominence of race and gender in the Democratic primary. First, Obama's speech on race provided a fantastic treatment of that issue, as well as Americans' treatment of identity politics in general, and everyone should watch it. I think it's still one of the most popular videos on Youtube. Now, we have a honest and informative discussion about gender! It didn't come from either campaign, but it's worth a look.
http://counterpunch.org/smith03262008.html

New Knittings

2008-03-21T14:04:00.003-04:00

I'm knitting Jaden, from the latest issue of knitty. I've had to restart it three times- once it was too big, once it was too small, and once I realized I had been doing the lace pattern wrong. This time I think I'm on the right track.

In other news, Franklin's vet says he isn't entirely beagle! He is almost certainly a beagle/basset hybrid, known as a bagle hound.

Local Currency

2008-03-13T20:18:00.003-04:00

Today I learned that some places, in the United States and elsewhere, use local currency to foster local economic development. One such system has been used quite successfully in the Berkshires. of Western Massachusetts.

The idea is that people buy local currency from a special bank and use it at participating local businesses. It gives these businesses a way to compete with national chains and keeps capital local.

Obviously this wouldn't work where I currently live, Montgomery County Maryland, because it's far too urban. Keeping money around to foster economic development couldn't be less of a problem. People would see no reason to use the local currency.

However, such a scheme could be interesting on Cape Cod, where I grew up. We don't have a problem getting an influx of capital, due to a booming tourist trade. The problem is that nearly all of the economic activity is centered on tourists, leaving locals feeling like there's nothing left for us. With a local currency, certain local businesses could specialize in serving local people and keep tourists away. Most local businesses thrive on tourist dollars, but certain coffee shops and bars would like to keep their local flavor.

Would it work? Probably.

Am I being unfair to tourists by favoring their exclusion? Definitely.

Would most locals welcome my proposal? Given that we take pleasure in making tourists think that there is a tunnel under the Cape Cod Canal and a bridge to Martha's Vineyard, I'd say undoubtedly.

OMG New Knitty!

2008-03-12T13:41:00.002-04:00

This is totally going to be my Spring Break knitting project.

And maybe this.

Now, to pick out yarn!

Playtime!

2008-03-07T14:42:00.000-05:00

Big Media and the Election

2008-03-04T14:49:00.002-05:00

Generally, it really grinds my gears that media outlets like CNN, Fox News, and even newspapers of record like the Washington Post have brought political dialog down to the level of the sound bite. Specifically, when reading the Washington Post this morning two things caught my eye:

1. The focus on race and gender.
It almost seems like a no-brainer in the democratic primary. These candidates are making history and that is not to be discounted. However, I think (I hope) that most voters do not choose which candidate to support based on whose demographics more closely match their own. One reason that Clinton and Obama are so successful is that she transcends gender and he transcends race in the constituencies that they gain support from and the issues that they address. I think that the most profound difference between the candidates is leadership style. After the damage that has been done by the Bush administration in nearly every facet of foreign and domestic policy, we need a president with the leadership skills necessary to make good decisions, gather political support, and make America great again. Despite all of the blathering about race and gender from the media, Democrats have different ideas about whose leadership would be best to move our country forward and that how we choose whom to support.

2. The notion that this race will divide the democratic primary.
Policy-wise, Clinton and Obama are not that different. I think that the fact that this democratic primary is more hotly contested, and stirs more passion in democrats, than those in recent years is because of opposition to the Bush administration. Democrats are showing such strong support for the candidate of their choice because we realize that this election is important. We have to elect a democratic candidate that will win the general election and rebuild America. Besides, in order for a party to be divided, it needs a dividing element. There must be an issue dimension. A dividing issue may emerge in the future, but right now the best way to characterize the democratic party is united against everything the Bush administration has done.
The Republicans, on the other hand, are divided. Conservatives are splitting from the more moderate wing of the party. John McCain energizes most of the party, but some of the big pundits from its conservative wing have stated that they would vote for Hillary Clinton over him. The fact that he remains the only viable republican candidate while the democrats are still in a heated battle is a symptom of the parties' primary electoral systems, not division.

Is Big Media being lazy, or is it incapable of fostering a dialog with more complex ideas?

Sleepy Beagle

2008-03-03T15:02:00.001-05:00

Another sock.

2008-03-01T13:51:00.002-05:00

There hasn't been much excitement lately in knitting land. I've mostly been preoccupied with other things, like schoolwork and the dog. Tomorrow I'm planning to go to A Tangled Skein in Hyattsville to get some yarn to make a scarf for Ben and mittens/gloves for me. Right now, I'm working on yet another sock, this time for Ben. It's nothing fancy, just your basic ankle-down sock pattern in self striping yarn.

Beagle Pic Of The Day

2008-02-29T15:57:00.000-05:00

Dave Grohl for president!

2008-02-22T12:15:00.002-05:00

The Foo Fighters/ Nirvana drummer announced his intention to run, and his platform includes drinking more beer.

Bushism

2008-02-21T18:05:00.001-05:00

"It's easier to tear a country down than it is to rebuild a country."
From the associated press, covering Bush's trip to Liberia.

From The Economist...

2008-02-19T09:12:00.003-05:00

After the bitterness of the Bush years, America needs a dose of unity: Mr. Obama has a rare ability to deliver it. And the power of charisma should not be underrated, especially in the context of the American presidency which is, constitutionally, quite a weak office. The best presidents are like magnets below a piece of paper, invisibly aligning iron filings into a new pattern of their making. Anyone can get experts to produce policy papers. The trick is to forge consensus to get those policies enacted.

The article goes on to caution voters against Obama's lack of experience, but the above passage highlights the qualities that matter in a president. Realistically, presidents do not make policy. They may have strong influence over it, but the actual solutions to our nation's problems will be crafted by advisers, agencies, and Congress. The president's effect on policy is a function of his/her judgment and values, as well as their ability to negotiate and push through solutions that are both effective and politically palatable enough to muster the necessary support. So, rather than elaborate policy solutions, perhaps we should be focusing more on our candidates leadership skills, attitude towards the office of president, and what they perceive to be important issues.

Signs of Spring

2008-02-18T18:00:00.002-05:00

Today, the weather was more similar to a crisp, bright day in April than February's usual gray chill. I blew off my work to go to the C&O canal towpath with Ben and Franklin.

There were blooming crocuses!

The new surroundings, filled with people, other dogs, and assorted wildlife, made my dog even more rambunctious than usual. Now he's all worn out and sleeping on the couch.

This is my puppy, Franklin:

2008-02-16T09:08:00.002-05:00

He's a six-month old beagle that we met at an animal shelter.

I'm happy because...

2008-02-08T09:10:00.000-05:00

1. Ben and I are getting a dog! He's a six-month-old beagle named Bertie from the Washington Area Rescue League. We get to bring him home a week from today.

2. Romney is out of the race!

3. The weather is starting to feel like spring.

4. It's almost the weekend.

I'm almost done with those socks, just have to graft the last toe together.

Why I Support Obama

2008-01-31T22:01:00.000-05:00

I've never gotten into politics on this blog before, or even substantially deviated from knitting, but I feel the need to for a couple of reasons:
1. Ravelry just makes knitting blogs a bit redundant.
2. I'm a policy student, this stuff is my life.
3. Why should I limit my blog? It's not like all I think about is knitting!
4. Writing about stuff helps you to think more clearly about it.

So I watched the Democratic debate tonight. Despite being a bit of a political junkie I hadn't watched a debate since, like, April. I figured that getting exposed to all of the mudslinging in the papers, on the radio, on TV, and in daily conversation was enough. This time around I thought it would be amusing. You see, the Democrats are down to Obama, Clinton, and Gravel. I assumed that all of them would be invited to the debate, Gravel would actually get to talk a little bit, and hilarity would ensue. I'm amused by how nuts that guy is. CNN apparently isn't so amused by his insanity becase they prevented him from appearing in the debate.

Back to the point, I realized why I find Obama so refreshing. It's not the issues- his positions hardly differ from Clinton. I would anticipate very little policy difference between each of their presidencies. The reason that I find Obama appealing and Clinton repulsive is their approach to governance. Obama, rather than the usual petty disputing of facts, seems to realize that differences in political preferences are a result of differences in fundamental values. Rather than exploiting these differences by jumping right to the fundamentally divisive issues (abortion, size of government, distributional justice) he focuses on the values that are held in common. He emphasizes dialog and coalitions, which is exactly what we need if we are to work past our deepest divisions.

Clinton, on the other hand, seems to thrive on the back-and-forth, divisive politics that have dominated since the Regan era. (Or so I hear- I'm 22 and I've only been paying attention to politics for about 7 years. I'm fortunate enough not to remember Regan.)

Bottom line: divisive partisan politics don't get things done. (Ex: SCHIP). After all of the damage that the Bush Administration has done over the past 7 years, we need a President that can move past petty party identity and ideology to bring about the progress that our country so desperately needs.

Why We Knit

2008-01-31T21:46:00.000-05:00

Yeah, I'm knitting another pair of socks.

My favorite hand-knitted pair got a giant rip in the heel.

Lately I've been finding it somewhat redundant to post my project both on this blog and on Ravelry. (If you're on, look me up- the SN is also wildthreads). It leads me to question what this is all about, why I'm putting my words and my projects out there on the internet. Online social networking is revolutionary and I love that it has brought knitting into the modern world and that communities exist to unite modern knitters. Ultimately, though, the revolutionary aspect of the internet is that it enables individuals to have a voice as never before.

So what is my voice? Pretty pictures of my mediocre knitting followed by half-assed analysis?

To me knitting, like the internet, is about upsetting the power structure. By making our voices heard or creating our own fashions, our creative input is challenging the mainstream media or the fashion industry. Although most of us make small contributions- by updating a blog every now and then or wearing a hand-made hat- we are telling the traditional powers, like the media and the fashion industry, that their word will not be taken without challenge.

It's a sweater!

2008-01-26T15:15:00.000-05:00

It fits me perfectly. The sleeves generally came out well, but they're a little bumpy around the shoulders.

I'm also making socks:

And last night I started a scarf for Ben.

Sleeves

2008-01-21T12:49:00.000-05:00

All that's left to finish my sweater is sewing the pieces together. I HATE this part, partially because sewing is much less exact than knitting, but mostly because it means that the sleeves have to fit into the sleeve holes. I'm on my third unsuccessful attempt to pin them in place. To make it even more difficult, the yarn I'm using says not to soak it. This means no wet blocking, and I don't know how to dry-block. I don't even have a flat surface big enough to block on, anyway. So I'm proceeding without blocking. Maybe by some magical intervention I'll be able to set the sleeves and finish the sweater tonight, and then there will be pictures.

Tiny socks, new books, and sweater

2008-01-17T13:39:00.000-05:00

Although I can't seem to make myself settle down in front of a computer to blog these days, I've been doing plenty of knitting. Seeing Nellie's brand new beautiful knitting blog inspired me to finally do some posting.

I started off the break by knitting some tiny little warm things for Afghans for Afghans.

I like tiny socks because they're easy, but complicated enough to make it interesting, and they go fast. The hat was a way to use up scraps of different sock yarns.

For Christmas I got two knitting books. My parents gave me Knitting Nature by Norah Gaughan. Ben's parents gave me Alterknits by Leigh Radford. Right now I'm working on this sweater from Knitting Nature:

They call it the Turbulence U-Neck Pullover. Of course, I had to make the front and back quite a bit longer than called for to accommodate my giraffe-like dimensions. I'm using this amazing soy-wool blend. It's surprisingly soft- I would have thought the soy would make it rough, but it feels great. Here's a picture from much earlier in the process. Right now all I have left is one sleeve and the finishing.

Free.

2007-12-20T01:41:00.000-05:00

After three weeks of tearing my hair out, finals are over. I celebrated last night with coconut rum mixed with pineapple juice, and a night of guilt-free TV with my boyfriend. Now I have over a month with minimal responsibility. I always have big plans for vacation that never come to fruition. This time around, my plans are:
*Get a puppy! (And train said puppy.)
*Read some books that have nothing to do with politics, economics, or political theory.
*Get my exercise routine back. Work on 5K running.
*Knit excuses.
*See all the cool DC stuff that I haven't seen yet, especially art museums.
*Fix my espresso machine.

Usually my big plans for vacation just fall through, but at Pitt I only got a week and a half. Now I get over a month. Hopefully these plans aren't too ambitious for the time that I have.

Right now I'm knitting baby socks for Afghans for Afghans. Pictures soon, I'm feeling lazy now. Ever since I got a ravelry membership it seems redundant to post my knitting in both places and I'm not so motivated to do it. However, I still feel that knitting blogs are absolutely worthless without pictures. Looking at the pretty things is so much more fun than reading about it.

I'm having second thoughts about the latest tea cozy design. It's tempting to frog it and make a basic felted one, but after all of the design-thought I've put into it already, I want something original. Isn't that what fiber art is all about? After all, it is both cheaper and quicker to buy stuff than make it. Knitters often ask themselves if the value of knitting is in the process or the result. For me, it's a little of both. The result portion takes its value from having an original piece that is untouched by the fashion industry. Store-bought stuff may be convenient, but hand-made items have a story and a soul.

Not knitting-related

2007-12-04T21:57:00.000-05:00

The following things can kiss my ass:
1. Rachel Ray
2. Diamond commercials
3. Ads that ruin good Christmas songs
4. Finals

Tea Cozy Revolt

2007-11-21T18:47:00.000-05:00

I've decided that I don't like the brioche stitch, and I do like making up my own patterns. So I'm frogging the brioche tea cozy and inventing my own. It is a coil of green I-cord, crocheted together in yellow.

Right now it just looks like a hat for a tea pot, but it's going to get bigger and cover the whole thing.

While I was dreaming up this idea, I made a cozy for a cup. I know it looks silly, but it's really quite functional. The cup doesn't insulate very well on it's own, so it's hard to hold with hot tea inside and the tea doesn't stay hot for very long. But it's a pretty cup, a gift from an old roommate, so I like to use it as much as I can.

Ravelry, Tea Cozy Troubles

2007-11-18T16:40:00.000-05:00

My ravelry membership came through! So far all I've done is add a couple of projects and browse to see what other patterns are out there. I think it's awesome- so organized, so many members, so very detailed. My one problem is that for photos it interfaces with Flickr. I HATE Flickr and love Picasa. It's no wonder that Picasa is awesome, since everything Google touches turns to gold, but I wonder why other software never approaches Google's level of innovation. I use Picasa for this site, and for picture organization in general, so it just bothers me that I have to load my pictures to yet another piece of software in order to use them on Ravelry.

My primary project right now brioche stitch tea cozy. I'm really having trouble with it. This is my first attempt at knitting in the brioche style and multi-color projects generally don't work out well for me. Perhaps I should have taken some time to get the technique down before jumping right into the tea cozy. It also doesn't help that the pattern is written by a New Zealand knitter who uses different terms and abbreviations. For example, I think "yarn round needle" is the same as a yarn over, but I'm not really sure. After much yarn-wrestling I think I have the pattern down, but I neglected to contour the shape to fit my tea cozy. It fits a little too snugly around the spout.

I also knit a hat for Ben! It was much easier than the tea cozy. Here it is on a pumpkin.

I'm back!

2007-11-08T13:37:00.000-05:00

School has been busy, but now that midterms are over I can return to the blag. I have quite a few finished objects. First, Tetris is finally done!

The pillows are really comfy, too. I'd say it is a success. Thanks to Steve for the idea.

I also knit a hat!

It was supposed to be for Ben. I bought the yarn because it's his favorite color- the color of the Baltimore Orioles and his high school football team. When the hat was finished, I realized that it was too feminine for him to wear but too cute to frog. So, it's mine.

Now I'm working on socks to give to Dad for Christmas.

The Dad socks are HUGE. The pattern calls for 44 stitches around, I used 60. The picture shows me wearing them over a normal-sized pair that I made for myself.

Coming up next will be a hat for Ben (for real this time) and a tea cozy. I'm thinking of using this tea cozy pattern, probably with yarn left over from Tetris.

Finally, here's a picture of the mini-rose plant in my kitchen. For a while I thought it was dead, but it came back!

Vest is Finished

2007-09-23T13:54:00.000-04:00

Too bad it's not cold enough to wear it yet. Back in New England it would be, but DC is a different story.

I think it turned out well, especially considering that I made up the pattern as I went along. Now I just wish I had written it down! The cable snaking around the neckline is what makes my pattern unique. I was worried that it would affect the shaping of the top of the vest, but I think it looks good. I like how it sits on the shoulder.

Armhole finishing was another snag that I hit. The holes are tighter than intended, and every time I tried to do a ribbed finishing all the way around the armhole it didn't look right. So, I left the bottom of the armhole alone and just did edging around the top and sides. You can't tell that I did it that way, and the result is that it sits very naturally on the shoulder.

Here's a close-up of the top:

Tetris Returns!

2007-09-20T21:09:00.000-04:00

I finally ordered new yarn to finish Tetris with. Now three squares are done, two of which have been made into a pillow.

Making Progress

2007-09-16T20:46:00.000-04:00

The vest is coming along. I'm at the neckline, which I've decided is the hardest part when you are making up a pattern as you go along.

I took a break from the vest to knit a pair of little socks for Afghans for Afghans. I wanted to try out the set of teeny tiny sock needles that a bought- sets of five in size 1, 0, 00, and 000! I didn't even know they made triple-0. These are knit on double-0.

I finally decided to finish the tetris project. I'm going to go all the way, as planned, even though it means buying new yarn. I had to guess on some of the colors when I ordered the yarn, so hopefully it turns out OK. Tetris will be finished yet!

Ben and I celebrated our four year anniversary this weekend. We went hiking (12 miles total!) on the C&O Canal Towpath starting in Georgetown.

I love how you can see the waterfall through the spider web in this picture.

The camera is back!

2007-08-25T13:59:00.000-04:00

It turns out that the problem wasn't with the camera at all, but just its USB cable. Now I can finally display all of the recent happenings with my yarn and knitting.

My grandmother used to be quite a skilled and prolific knitter. She used to make sweaters for me, my brother, and each of my five cousins every year. Unfortunately her health is declining and she can't see well enough to knit anymore. I inherited her needle supply and most of her yarn a couple of years ago, but she has been holding on to the remainder of her stash. When I visited in August, she decided to give me the rest.
This is a huge quantity of very soft wool that Grandma bought on a trip to France many years ago.
She mentioned that you can prewash wool yourself to prevent it from felting. I've never heard of this process and would like to learn more about it.

There's also some wool made on a sheep farm in Maine. It might be older than I am. It is much rougher than the French yarn, and very thick. I think it might be good for winter hats and such.

What am I going to make with all of this beautiful yarn? Well I've already started a vest!

It's my own design. I'm making it up as I go along. So far I've had to start over a couple of times, but I'm pleased with how its turning out now. The big question is what to do with the cables when I get to the neck line. I would like to make the two outer cables snake around the neck hole, but I don't really know how to do that.

In my long absence from posting pictures, I also made socks. They're the "Coupling" pattern from the latest issue of Knitty.

Still no camera.

2007-08-08T20:54:00.000-04:00

I need an SM card reader for the camera. Its USB port is broken.
There's been a lot of knitting going on though.
I'm beyond fed up with the tetris project. I should have known better than to attempt something so big. I'm mostly through the third square. At this point, I don't think there's any way I'll have enough yarn to do all four squares. So, the options are to order more yarn, or revise the project. Seven balls of cascade 220 will be pricey. I'm not even sure I can find all the colors I used. If I revise it, I would end with three panels in the tetris pattern and make three pillows instead of two, with the backs of the pillows either black or grey. If I do that, I won't be as happy with the finished product and it will mean much more knitting on a project I'm already sick of. Poop. When I eventually resume the project, and start working so that I can afford it, I will probably search the internet for more colors and finish it as I had originally planned.

I'm also knitting socks. They're from the latest issue of knitting, the pattern is called Coupling. I've never knit toe-up socks before and I can't decide if I like it or not. the pattern seems to create a better finished project, but it is more challenging.

Ben and I ended up with a lot of tee shirts that we don't want after college. I've started cutting them into strips to be used as knitting materials. So far I've made a dish cloth. The shirt-cutting tecnique is definetly still being perfected. The dishcloth was knit on size 13 needles and was still rather tight, so I need to cut the strips much more finely. I think the old tee shirts could end up being a cost-effective and environmentally friendly way to get some cotton knitting material.

#^$&()&^%@

2007-07-29T17:24:00.000-04:00

Well, my computer isn't recognizing the digital camera right now, and I just can't get excited about blogging without posting pictures.

vest

2007-07-19T15:12:00.000-04:00

I saw a pretty vest in a store the other day.

It was $80. Totally not worth the price, but it looked comfy and easy to make. Perhaps it will be my next project after tetris. I don't like the way the model is wearing it, though. I would make it longer and with a more relaxed fit.

Tetris is expanding!

2007-07-19T14:57:00.000-04:00

I know it's been a while. Since I last posted, I went from the Pittsburgh apartment to Silver Spring, where until recently we had no cable or internet. Then I flew home to lovely Cape Cod, where I don't have much access to the family computer. In the next couple of weeks I'll be around Cape Cod, with a trip to Maine for my Grampy's 90th birthday in the middle. So there hasn't been much opportunity for blogging, but I've been getting a good bit of knitting done. The first square of Tetris is complete, but it's back in Silver Spring and I don't have a picture. The second square of tetris is well under way.

On the long drive to Maine I should be able to finish it and get going on the third square. I was initially worried about having enough yarn for all four squares, but it looks like I'll make it. If anything I might need some more black, but I'm just using the Lion wool for that so it's easy to come by.

In other news, there's going to be a knitting store right here in North Falmouth! It's called the Knitting Garden. I have no idea when it will be open, but I'm sure I'll be gone by then. Maybe I can check it out when I'm home this winter.

Tetris

2007-07-04T13:03:00.000-04:00

The first square is almost done!

And I've even added more blocks since this picture was taken!

2007-06-30T00:51:00.000-04:00

OMG I'm moving tomorrow! Eeeeep!
I won't have internet for a while, but I'll be back to yarn talk soon.

Camping Trip

2007-06-26T19:29:00.000-04:00

Ben and I had to go to Silver Spring last Friday to sign the lease for our new apartment. Afterwards, we went camping at Point Lookout State Park. It's located at the mouth of the Potomac, where it meets the Chesapeake Bay. We did some swimming, saw some wildlife, all in all it was a good time. I didn't manage to get pictures of most of the animals I saw, but there were ospreys, great blue herons, really huge skates, crabs, fish, a muskrat, a tree frog, and about a zillion mosquitos. Those little fuckers ate me alive.
Here's an osprey nest in the marsh.

I didn't want to bring the tetris project on the trip- I didn't want the wool yarn to get dirty. So, I brought some cotton and made some dishcloths for our new apartment. The first one I made was dolphin cloth and the second was an experiment with crocheting patterns on top of a knitted base. Normally I hate crocheting, but this technique was pretty cool.

So this Saturday we move. I really like our apartment in Silver Spring, too. Although it's small, it's pretty and right near the metro.

Tetris

2007-06-20T00:16:00.001-04:00

I've started the tetris project! In the end, it's going to be two pillows. Right now it's a bunch of cool-looking blocks. Each side of the pillow will have 100 blocks, so this may take a while. In the coming weeks, this blog will probably focus on the progress of the tetris project. I know it's boring, but at least it's colorful.

Yesterday I went to visit my friend Lizza in Edinboro, PA. There was an alpaca farm half a mile from her house! I want to raise alpacas and make yarn when I'm old.

Look at the cute little wool machines!
The alpacas made friends with Lizza's dogs, Jake and Parker.

Summer-ey Things

2007-06-17T13:52:00.000-04:00

I just finished a couple of small projects: a pair of ankle socks and a cute little lacey hat.

Later today I'm going to finally start the tetris project! I decided on doing two pillows instead of a bag. It will be a nice accent to our new apartment. Last night I wound the Cascade 220 into balls and planned out the tetris pattern on graph paper. Today I'm going to the craft store to get some pillows to cover, then I'll decide what size I need to make the squares, and I can get going!

In non-knitting news, my porch garden is looking great. Considering that we're in the middle of a city, we did a great job greening-up the house.

My cucumber even has a flower!

Blanket and more socks

2007-06-12T17:10:00.001-04:00

Growing up on Cape Cod spoiled me. The summers are more mild than anywhere else on the east coast- 80 degrees is considered "wicked hot" and even in the most extreme heat waves the temperature rarely exceeds 85. Now Cape Cod, with its readily accessible beaches and idyllic weather, seems like a distant fairyland as I feel myself melting in Pittsburgh's 95-degree heat.

So, I've put off working on the blanket. It's just too hot. Now I'm working on another pair of socks instead. They're cute and summery, as well as easily portable. I can work on them outside or take them to an air-conditioned coffee shop.

The blanket has expanded since I last posted a photo of it, though. Here's what it looks like:

I'm guessing when it's finished it will be about as long as it is wide, but that really depends on how much yarn and patience I have. Right now I'm using the leftover yarn from Ben's green socks.

Dishcloths and some new yarn

2007-06-10T22:20:00.000-04:00

While I was at Ben's parents house about a week ago, I was sitting in the living room with Ben and his parents and working on my blanket. Ben's Mom mentioned that his recently deceased grandmother used to make the best dischcloths that anyone in their family had ever used. I had here lend me one of each pattern so that I could duplicate it. Here are the results:
These are the originals. One is seed stitched and the other is in garter stitch with a simple lace edge.

Here are my attempts.

The look looser because they have not been through numerous cycles of machine washing and drying like the originals. Still, I think I could've used a smaller needle on the seed stitch cloth. My lace edging is not as pronounced on the garter stitch cloth- maybe I should have used a bigger needle there. Also, one of the edges on the garter stitch cloth looks kind of smooshed.

Here are some close-ups of mine next to Ben's grandma's.

Today http://www.knitone.biz/ was having a huge yarn sale. I took advantage of the opportunity to buy some wool yarn for my upcoming tetris project. I also couldn't resist picking up a couple balls of sock yarn, some orange wool/alpaca to make Ben a new winter hat, and a cotton/synthetic blend that I'll probably use to make a warmer weather hat for myself.

Socks!

2007-06-08T17:05:00.000-04:00

I decided to undo the socks I was making for Ben and start from scratch. The original yarn was truly hideous. I actually managed to get him to come to the yarn store with me and select a nicer yarn. We settled on Lion Wool Ease in Forest Green Heather.

My socks, which I made a few months ago, are made out of the same yarn in Camel.

Both pairs are made on size 3 needles. Although Ben and I have the same length feet (we can actually share sneakers) his are substantially wider so I had to alter the pattern a little bit to make the socks bigger.

The pattern, called Thuja, came from Knitty.

Now I can post pictures! Woo!

2007-05-17T12:10:00.000-04:00

Steve got a new, very awesome, digital camera and I bought his old cheap one.
Here's some pictures of my blanket. It's the only thing I've been working on.

Really, it's such a big project that I never thought I'd knit a blanket. It's still kind of daunting- I like instant gratification like socks and hats- but I like it.

It's really coming along nicely. I'm doing rows of eight squares each and I'm currently on row 5. It might come out ugly and that makes me sad. I was hoping that somehow all of that ugly yarn together would make something nice. Maybe it will and maybe it won't, but I still want to make this blanket to use up that yarn.

I think I've grown out of livejournal...

2007-05-12T17:13:00.000-04:00

...and none of my LJ friends want to read about knitting anyway. This blog will be boring without pictures, but hopefully I can get a digital camera soon. Maybe for my birthday. Until then, descriptions will have to suffice.

Right now I have two things on the needles. One is a pair of socks for my boyfriend, Ben. The pattern, called Thuja, can be found here. I let him pick a yarn for it out of my stash, provided that he didn't choose all wool. There is no way he could be convinced to handwash socks and I didn't want my hard work felted away. He picked this blue acrylic stuff that my grandmother gave me when I was learning to knit. I think it's ugly and scratchy, but he seems to like it.
I just knit this same pattern not too long ago in a tan superwash wool. Ben and I have roughly the same size feet (I'm 5" taller) and I was torn over whether to give the socks to him or keep them myself. They turned out a little too narrow for his feet so I ended up keeping them. I absolutely love the pattern though.

My other project is a mitered squares blanket (I don't like the word afghan- it sounds so old-ladyish) to get rid of some of my stash. I'm using up the crappy acrylic stuff. The more I can get rid of the better, since I'm moving to Washington, DC for graduate school in a few months. This is my first experiment with mitered knitting and I LOVE it! I've even dreamed up some projects to use this technique, which will be much more interesting than a blanket.

The first thing I thought of when I started knitting the mitered squares was to invent a mitered lace pattern and design a skirt around it. Something flowey, above the knee, perfect for summer. I would need to figure out how to create an A-line shape with the squares first. I'm kind of pear shaped, so a pencil skirt wouldn't work.

The second Idea I had for mitered knitting emerged when my roommate Steve saw me doing the blanket squares. He remarked that I group of four squares I had knitted looked like a tetris piece. That's when the lightbulb went off in my head- I want to do a felted messenger bag with a tetris theme! I'd get a bunch of wool, maybe Cascade 220, in all the colors of the tetris pieces and design a tetris game for mitered squares! Knit it in the shape of a bag, felt it, and it will be the most wicked awesome bag you've ever seen. First I just need the money for all of that yarn!