Knitting, sewing, cross stitching, my life in general.





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This will be short today. I've been staying away from the computer lately because I've been having trouble with a tendon in my right arm. Too much knitting and mouse clicking, I think. Knitting: I'm working away on the Italian flag baby sweater. I finished the back and I'm about halfway through the sleeves. I would like to finish this over the weekend and then present it to my coworker Monday night when my group is having a beer in La Jolla. I also knit a quick bulky hat for the hat-a-long.
posted by Stephanie at 9:11 AM

 
Yesterday was one of those days. You know--when you oversleep and the rest of the day just kind of spirals down from there? Anyway, today's a new day, I got up when my alarm went off, and I'm having green tea and a fat-free blueberry scone. Also, today is payday and the last day before a 4-day weekend. It has to be better!

My Peruvian Sierra yarn arrived from elann yesterday and it's wonderful. The color (eggplant) is really even better than it looked on the monitor. I started swatching last night using a 4.0mm needle instead of the 4.5mm suggested on the ball band. Apparently my tension is getting tighter (thanks, Alice Starmore) because I got a bunch more stitches than they did (like 22/4 in instead of 19). That's weird because I usually have to go down 1 or 2 needle sizes to get the recommended gauge. Believe it or not, I think I will even do a second gauge swatch today (with 4.5mm) and see how that looks/feels. Amazing! I hardly ever make one gauge swatch! heh. I'm thinking this is going to be a pullover for me, but I haven't decided exactly what it will look like. Probably something simple. I only ordered 15 skeins and I'm already paranoid that I won't have enough yarn. Oh well, we'll see. This is elann's own yarn so I'll just have to hope that they keep it in stock for a little while.

Time to make lunches and get ready for work. Hopefully I won't have to work a full day today. Then I can get home and knit! Oh, and start preparing for tomorrow. It's just me and DH, but I'm cooking my first-ever Thanksgiving turkey!
posted by Stephanie at 7:48 AM

 
Hmmm. Somehow I didn't do much knitting over the weekend. What did I do? Um, watched football, went grocery shopping, sat around. I worked on my LL sock a bit--I'm on the heel flap right now. I'm off work this afternoon and I have a few hours until I have to go to a doctor appointment so I think I will work on Stornoway for a while. Then of course there will be sock knitting in the waiting room of the dr.'s office.
posted by Stephanie at 2:49 PM

 
I lied. I didn't sew or knit yesterday afternoon. I cleaned a little and napped a lot. Oh well, I think both were pretty important.

Here's the hand knit sweater I got at Goodwill. I put in a zipper to make it a cardigan/jacket.
BEFORE:



AFTER:






posted by Stephanie at 10:41 AM

 
Meh. Still tired. And I only knit for about 20 minutes yesterday on a break at work. Today I'm off, though, so I'm hoping to work a little on Stornoway. I also need to finish up the sewing project I'm working on (velour leopard print jacket) because I need to clean off the dining room table so we can actually eat from it.

This morning I went to the acupuncturist and she loves my hand-knit socks. I was wearing a pair of Opal Mexikos and she just raved about them. I would consider knitting her a pair for Christmas, but I don't really know her shoe size and don't want to ask! Maybe a little sock Christmas ornament then. The receptionist had a hand-knit bright pink wool scarf and she said a good friend made it for her. She was totally amazed by it and it was just a long strip of garter stitch.
posted by Stephanie at 2:40 PM

 
Whew, this working stuff is hard (and I didn't even work 8 hours today). At least I got to knit on my lunch hour. It was a beautiful day here in San Diego (70s and sunny) so I ate my leftovers quickly and then went and sat on a bench outside. I cast on a sock for me (yeah, I need a new wip like I need a hole in the head) with Lorna's Laces shepard sock in "Country Christmas".

I have a pounding sinus headache so I don't know if I'll make it to the knitting meetup tonight. I think I'd rather crash on the couch with a hot towel over my head. Or maybe take a bath. Toodles!!
posted by Stephanie at 5:08 PM

 
Yarn Diet.
As you can see from the new button over to the left, I have joined other bloggers in a yarn diet. This should be no big suprise considering the fact that I'm only working part-time and not making any money, but I feel the need to make it official. Gifts, of course, don't count. And when my mom comes here for Christmas and wants to take me shopping for my gift we will go directly to the LYS. I also just spent my bday yarn gift certificate from DH on some Peruvian collection Sierra from elann. I bought enough eggplant to make a sweater for me.

I don't have to go in to work until this afternoon so I think I will go put some vegetarian chili in the crock pot and then knit on Stornoway. Have a good Tuesday!
posted by Stephanie at 9:51 AM

 
Ugh. Today was one of those Mondays when I should have just stayed under the covers in bed all day. Oh well, I did just accomplish something that I'm quite happy with. I took the beautiful hand-knit fair isle sweater I got from Goodwill, cut it down the front, and put in a separating zipper. I love cardigans and I wear them so much more here cuz I can take them on and off. It's really a nice sweater and it fits well. Pics to come.
posted by Stephanie at 8:47 PM

 
Hey, who stole my weekend? I didn't really do anything exciting. Did some sewing, some knitting, some cross stitching. Went to Goodwill and found a few nice wool sweaters. The Hello Kitty pjs are done and I really like them:




I started a new sewing project. I had some leopard print stretch velour that I bought a few years ago and the idea was to make a jogging suit (or whatever you want to call it--basically a jacket and pants). I didn't quite have enough fabric so I decided on a jacket and knee-length skirt instead. The skirt is done. The jacket is cut out, but is on hold because I need to pick up a 20" separating zipper.

On the knitting front, I'm working on Fortissima Colori sock #2. I'm on the heel right now so I'll be happy when these are done and I can mark another Christmas gift off my list.
posted by Stephanie at 9:53 PM

 
Well, I'm now 10 inches into the body of Stornoway



I guess I am making some progress even though it doesn't seem like it!
posted by Stephanie at 3:06 PM

 
Hey, there's nothing like a big cup of coffee and a day off to make a girl feel good. I definitely have a cold, but at least I can stay home all day and do nothing. Yesterday afternoon I ended up doing a little bit of knitting on Stornoway and a lot of napping. Today may be more of the same.

Here, I share with you two recipes that I'm hoping to make today. Oatmeal cookies (I will add raisins) and hummus (this stuff disappears in our house almost as fast as cookies)!
posted by Stephanie at 10:01 AM

 
Phew, I'm beat. I've actually been working pretty hard this week, which of course I'm not used to. I think I'm also coming down with DH's cold. Ack. But the good news is that it's Thursday afternoon and I'm off work until sometime on Monday. Wooo!!! I think I will change into some jammies, make myself a cup of tea, and settle in for some knitting. I really need to work on Stornoway some. If that makes my head hurt I may just have to work on some socks. There's a SnB at Starbucks tonight, but I'm not sure if I'm up to it.
posted by Stephanie at 2:33 PM

 
Well, I had a pretty darn good birthday yesterday. I only had to work from 9 until 1 and DH took me to a sandwich shop by the ocean for lunch. Then I headed directly to JoAnn's to spend some birthday money on fabric. There were some good sales going on so I got some nice stuff. Corduroy, felt, velour. Then I came home for a long bubble bath and then dinner with DH. Oh, and DH got me a yarn store gift certificate and I am still thinking about what I want to spend it on.

I have a boring 4-hour safety meeting at work this afternoon. I'm thinking I should bring a sock to work on or else I will never survive. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
posted by Stephanie at 7:34 AM

 
Happy birthday to meeeeeeeeee!
posted by Stephanie at 7:46 AM

 
I finished fortissima sock #1. I think I will cast on #2 tonight during the Packer game (go Pack)!!! I started a new sewing project--Hello Kitty flannel PJs. They are going to be so cute I can hardly stand it.

Happy Birthday to my mom!!!
posted by Stephanie at 5:53 PM

 
Pic day. First, here are the fraternal Packer socks. I'm going to send them to my sister.



Here's my mom's goofy acrylic cell phone case



That's about it for knitting. I'm very close to finishing fortissima sock #1 (xmas gift). Oh! I almost forgot--I started a pair of wool slippers for my mom using Lamb's Pride bulky and the pattern in Knitting Pretty. I was just talking to mom yesterday and it's really cold in northern Wisconsin and she had to get out her wool socks and hat!

I did some sewing this weekend and finished up the flannel jumper dress



It looks much better on, but I didn't feel like modeling. It has snowflake fabric down both side seams and 2 little iron-on snowflakes at the bottom. Cute, no?

And finally, an adorable picture of Jackson. He thinks it's cold when it gets below 70 degrees. He actually slept like this all night last night.


posted by Stephanie at 11:32 AM

 
Oh my gosh, I got lots of goodies in the mail yesterday. First, I got my birthday present from my mom (early--yes, she said I could open it) and she got me this and this. Yay! She also threw in a skein of Christmas glitter vareigated yarn so I'm making her a cell phone cozy with it. Then, I received my copy of the new Green Mountain Spinnery book (which I love) and my skein of hand-dyed sock yarn from LynnH (yum)! Oh, I also got my cafepress order of this and this. Wheee!
posted by Stephanie at 10:44 AM

 
I haven't felt much like knitting lately. I guess I'm just getting used to actually having to leave the house everyday again, plus my allergies have been really bothering me lately. That's one bad thing about southern California--it's always allergy season.

Yesterday I did drag out Stornoway for the first time in a while. I really don't think I will finish it by Christmas, but I think I should try. As a matter of fact, I think I will go work on it for a little while before I get ready for work.
posted by Stephanie at 7:30 AM

 
mmmmmmm....I'm having apple pie and coffee for breakfast. ssshhhh! don't tell my doctor! My pie turned out perfectly and I figured I deserve my favorite breakfast ever since I'm actually going to work a full day today.

Last night I did a little bit of mindless sock knitting, but not much. Have you seen the new Simply Knit 2 book? Go here for a review...I think I may have to buy it with my birthday money.
posted by Stephanie at 7:36 AM

 
Well, I made it through day 2 of the new job. I was there for a whopping 2 hours today. I saw the plan for my next 2 weeks and um, it looks like they want a ton of stuff done in only 15-20 hours a week. We'll see.

I'm continuing the sewing on the jumper and I think it's going to be really cute. Of course since it has snowflakes on it I should probably wait until after Thanksgiving to wear it.....Oh, and I finished the flower washcloth. It's cute, but I don't know if I will be making another one. Knitting those 5 little petals is kind of irritating.



There is apple pie in the oven and I am trying to decide what to make for dinner. I love fall!
posted by Stephanie at 5:42 PM

 
YAY PACKERS....WOOOOOO!!!!!

My first day at work was just fine. I was only there for 3 hours and I was just filling out paperwork, getting my lab coat, rearranging stuff in the lab, etc. I go back tomorrow afternoon to start my first experiment--they aren't going to waste any time!

Last night I did a bit more sewing. I making a jumper/dress from some dark blue/grey flannel. I cut out the pieces a long time ago and *ahem* the size would now be too small for me so I'm having to do some adjustments. I'm putting a panel of snowflake print fabric down the sides and I think it will be really cute.

My new coworker is having a baby in January (she is who I will be replacing) so now I have an excuse to knit a baby sweater. Her & her husband are from Italy so I am going to make a little pullover with an Italian flag on the front. I think it will be really cute. I just went to Michaels and bought some Woolease in red, white, and green. I tried to go to Knitting In La Jolla today after work but found out that they are closed on Mondays! pout.
posted by Stephanie at 2:32 PM

 
I've been doing some more sewing. Actually just finishing up some things that I started but didn't quite finish. Now that the weather's a little bit cooler I can actually wear something other than t-shirts & shorts! I finished up a pair of organic cotton flannel pull-on pants and a fleece cardigan. Cozy!

I haven't been much in the mood to knit, but today I did start one of those cute flower washcloths from the new IK. I'm using some variegated cotton, though, cuz I felt like lots of color.

Big Packer game tonight and big first day at work tomorrow!
posted by Stephanie at 3:43 PM

 
Lots to talk about today. First. The good news is that I am employed (finally!) and the bad news is that it's only part-time. Oh well, what's a girl to do. The plan (cross your fingers) is that it will switch to full-time in about 3 months if everything goes well. I am the new chemistry research associate at the Burnham Institute. The projects sound interesting so here's hoping I will like it and won't mind how horribly I'm getting paid! I start Monday morning.

Second. I opened a cafe press shop with some fun Christmas/knitting items. I'm always a sucker for anything holiday-related and it was fun creating the items. Check it out if you get a chance.

Third. Check out Lynn's new websitewith her hand-dyed yarns. Gorgeous. I already snagged a skein for myself.

Fourth. Yesterday I did some sewing. Jackson is a warm-weather-loving dog so the combination of him getting a buzz cut and the weather turning cool (60s) makes him shiver. He likes this fleece jacket, but of course that's for Halloween so he needed some more. I went to JoAnn's, picked up 2 more fleece prints, and made him 2 more shirts. He loves them. Oh, I also made this really cool travel jewelry pouch that rolls up. I used some leftover fleece fabric and it turned out really cute (pattern from an old JoAnn etc magazine). I will include it with my mom's package of birthday gifts and she will love using it when she comes to visit me for Christmas!
posted by Stephanie at 8:30 AM