knitting right along...

Last night I joined the sleeves to the body of SSC. It's the only thing I dislike about knitting sweaters with raglan sleeves. For about the first four rows I always struggle to knit the stitches of the sleeves. But, it should be smooth sailing from now on. I think I'll be able to have a quite morning tomorrow and work the rest of the yoke...ah, wishful thinking!

I need to give huge props to Denise! I got these a few months ago and I think they've already paid form themselves. They've especially been a help with SSC. I haven't had to fumble around with stitch holders or try to figure out how to move one set of stitches from one circular to another...I just move the needle point from one cable to another. A godsend in the joining process last night. It also saved me having to go out an buy more double point needles as well. The patter says that you should knit the entire sleeve using dpns...Instead I used the magic loop technique. The only drawback is that the cable for the Denise system is much thicker than traditional circular needles so it takes a little more effort to keep stitches spread out. And, like I said, the best part was that one I had finished on sleeve, I didn't have to move it to stitch holders. I just exchanged the needles for the round holder ends and then started the 2nd sleeve with another cable!

1. What was your first Halloween costume?
The first costume that I remember having was a princess. I was about 5/6 and it was on the kind that came in a box. It had a plastic mask and plastic "dress" that you're supposed to wear over your regular clothes

2. What was your best costume and why?
The best one I had was Wonder Woman...'cos she rocks.

3. Did you ever play a trick on someone who didn't give you a treat?
No

4. Do you have any Halloween traditions? (ie: Family pumpkin carving, special dinner before trick or treating, etc.)
No...I guess we were fairly boring.

5. Share your favorite scary story...real or legend!
I've always been a fan of Poe's The Tell Tale Heart. There's just something creepy about it.

knitting gets more hip everyday!

Loop NYC -- the maker of super cool accessories and home goods -- have done their magic again. This time with what looks like it might be the perfect christmas gift for a crafty girl. It's so cool they're selling it at girlshop. It almost makes me wish I didn't already know how to knit.

I've got the monday blahs!

Today blows...After enjoying a great weekend I woke up this morning to overcast skies and pouring ran. Now, it's about 4 pm and looking outside it's super depressing and it will be getting dark soon. Usually I have a hard time adjusting to the time change so this weather isn't helping.

On the bright side, my old roommate Brent and his wife came for a short visit this weekend. We went down to the Mall...something I don't usually do since I work there everyday. But, I was super cool hanging with the two of them and making a quick trip through the American History Museum and NASM. Kim seemed excited about maybe coming back to see the cherry blossoms in Spring.

to the end...

Well, it looks like I made it through another week. No more creepy crawlies Wednesday! I'm in a state of cautious optimism...and I still turn the light on in the bathroom before entering in the middle of the night.

BF is almost done with the tiling...unfortunately, it's driving him mad. If he has learned one lesson from this project, it's that he doesn't want to do any more work for our landlord. Mr. Landlord has turned out to be one of those "give him an inch and he'll take a mile" kind of people. So, the only other improvements that will be done in our apartment are those that we can take with us.

On the knitting front, I'm making a ton of headway on the Sitcom Chic. I'm hoping to finish sleeve #1 tomorrow morning and cast on for #2 in time for bus knitting Monday morning. The green that I chose is turning out to be awesome. My goal is to have the whole thing finished by the first week of November. That should give me plenty of time to make my mom's and decide what gifts I can still knit in time for christmas.

Poncho power...

So, I'm on the verge of turning into that girl likes to copy items that they see in stores. Sometimes I can't imagine an item costs what it does...Some times I just think I want to make things just to see if I can figure it out. This weekend, I went shopping and couldn't find anything in the right price range. What I did see? Another poncho... they're everywhere! This time it's one that's at Benetton. I looks really fast and simple.

I might have to join the Poncho-along!

Bugs moving in? I'm moving out!

Last night, right before BF was leaving for work and I was going to bed I spotted a yucky roach in our bathtub. I whimpered and cried like a girl and had BF go in to perform a removal ritual. Well, you know it's serious when your boyfriend who has been working in the subway system for the last 2 months gasps at the sight whatever is in your tub! Well he killed it (thankfully) but I was so freaked out that it took me a while before I could go back in the bathroom and even longer before I was ready to turn out the lights. I even left the bathroom light on overnight in case I had to go in the middle of the night. So we now have another problem to deal with.

We've pretty much decided that we'll be moving out in May...not what we expected. We had been hoping to find a place we could see ourselves living in for a couple of years. Last night and this morning we were even liking the idea of trying to break our lease! Argh

its that time again...friday five

1. Name five things in your refrigerator.
milk, eggs, broccoli, water, bacon

2. Name five things in your freezer.
ravioli, ice, strawberries, peas, spinach

3. Name five things under your kitchen sink.
detergent for dishwasher, extra sponges, glass cleaner, trash bags, lysol

4. Name five things around your computer.
mouse, printer, paper, pens, vertical files

5. Name five things in your medicine cabinet.
nail clippers, deodorant, advil, lotion, razor

anybody out there?

Well, it's not like I'm a shameless self promotor...I added comments to my blog. Just in case there's anyone skulking in the background that wants to say hi!

asleep @ the wheel

There's just one thing I hate about weeks when you get Monday off...It throws the whole week off. I woke up this morning thinking it was wednesday. And, of course, it's not! Somehow, I've gone through most of the week on autopilot. I've gotten very little done and need to fix the situation quickly.

So, let's get the ball rolling...I am done with all ribbed up. I turned out pretty well, but it feels a little loose. I was expecting it to be a little more fitted, but I think the vertical ribs make it too heavy. I'm going to give it a few wearings and then decide whether it would be worth my while to send it to the pond, the frog pond that is. The ribbon yarn that it's made of is very nice but snags a lot. I will probably just live with it as is.

I'm well on my way with SSC. The design is simple and great taking with you. I've been able to get a good amount done while riding the bus to and from work. I know I'll be able to work the body and the sleeves on the bus, but once I join all the pieces, I'll probably do the yoke at home. Carrying a whole sweater get cumbersome after a while. If this one comes out well, I already have the yarn to make one for my mom and that will become her x-mas present.

back to the friday five

1. Do you watch sports? If so, which ones?
Yes, soccer

2. What/who are your favorite sports teams and/or favorite athletes?
DC United!

3. Are there any sports you hate?
NASCAR

4. Have you ever been to a sports event?
Yes, I've been to soccer games and a couple of college football games

5. Do/did you play any sports (in school or other)? How long did you play?
I've never really played any sports...there was a period of time in college that I would play soccer with friends and sometimes ultimate frisbee.

thank goodness for knits

Yup, that's right...I'm very glad that in this ordeal, I have something to keep my hands busy. I can keep myself from obsessing over the way my tooth looks by obsessively knitting. I'm just about done with the "all ribbed up." I should be able to finish it on the daily bus rides this week.

So, I'm going to start on Sitcom Chic this Saturday morning. I went with a hunter green. I'm very happy with the color I chose. I had bought the yarn in the middle last week and over the weekend, I pulled all of my sweaters out of storage...Guess what? Not a lick of green. The color isn't too "christmas", if you know what I mean. And, It should go nicely with the absurd green sneakers that I bought earlier this summer.

weeping wednesday

So new tooth tuesday became tortured tuesday. I like the dentist who I'm going to to fix my tooth, but I have just one problem with her. She doesn't explain procedures to me. I'm not sure if she assumes that I already know what it takes to get to the final goal (having new tooth that looks real and natural) but she doesn't tell me what I'm in for. Last time I left her office I scheduled the appointment that was yesterday...She said "Next time we should be able to do your crown." and I thought she had taken a partial impression of my front tooth. So, I thought yesterday was going to just involve some bonding and shaping and there you have it, done! Shows what I know about dentistry. Yesterday ended up being the day they drill a post into the remaining portion of tooth and then grind off the rest to a frightening nub that will later be used to attach my porcelain crown.

And, boys and girls, it's even worse than the root canal. Now in terms of physical pain, but emotional trauma! I thought looking at the chip in the tooth was painful. I was wrong! This was the worst thing a girl could ever have to see. And, then to make things worse, I had to pick the color that I want my fake tooth to be. I just about lost it right there. Well, now it's going to be al least two more weeks before the fake tooth comes in, then i *hope* that's it.

The dentist sent me home with a temporary cap that just covers the little nub. It's roughly shaped from prefabricated caps. It looks better than walking around with a gaping whole, but it looks and feels like there's a big white tictac stuck where my tooth used to be. And, since my front teeth weren't perfectly straight to begin with, it just kind of sticks out because it is put on "straight." And just like a little girl, the second I got home I bawled like a little baby. I really can't bear this anymore...

new books for the weekend

I have been holding onto a gift card that the director of my department had given me last year as a Christmas gift...As a temp (which I was at the time) it really meant a lot. So, I decided to put it to some use. I went straight to amazon and ordered these two:





Hopefully once I get these I'll be able make a reasonable list of gifts to start making for Christmas. I know it's only October, but if I don't get started soon, there's no way I'm going to be able to do knitting for the whole family.

New tooth Tuesday!

I've got a dentist appointment this afternoon, and assuming there's nothing wrong with my root canal, I should be able to get my crown put on. Oh, happy day! It's been a month since the accident and I've come to terms with what happened, but I still can't stand the look of it. I still feel really self-conscious when I smile or laugh around anyone who I don't know well.

Now, my one and only fear is that the crown won't match the other teeth and people will notice that. So, I almost feel a pressure to become one of those people who compulsively brush their teeth after every meal. My teeth aren't freakishly white, but they're not really yellow either. Surprisingly, I don't think it's from smoking as much as coffee...I gave up the cigs, but don't try to take my coffee!

Thrift heaven!

I had a very cool trip the Value Village this weekend. It was a madhouse by the time we got there on Saturday afternoon...and that means competition. I wasn't really looking to spend a lot, so I wasn't bothered by the crowd. I ended up with a few good items and only spent $15. I got a *super* cool vintage Aigner raincoat...and the best part...it's reversible. I also picked up a velvet blazer, a vest, and a skirt.

I then went home and went through my closet. I came up with a bag full of clothes that I can get rid of. I'm going to try to update what I have in my wardrobe and also cut the fat. Hopefully in a couple of weeks I'll have 2nd bag of clothing put together. I'll drop that stuff off at the thrift and pick up some "new" goodies.

monday morning

It's another Monday and I'm super tired. With Andrew working nights, he stays up on Sunday nights to get back on schedule for the coming work week. Unfortunately, this means that I get a really bad night's sleep. For some reason I don't sleep well when he stays up, and I'm not really sure why. Then he comes to bed (today at 5:15) and things go further downhill. Today I had to decide whether to wake up 45 minute earlier than I want to or lay there waiting for the alarm to go off. I did option #2. So today I'm dragging.

blur!

You are Parklife.


Which Blur Album Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

i've been bad

I'm not all that good at keeping up with the blog...especially getting pictures put up! It's been close to a week since I've even thought about my blog. Argh...

Well since I'm here, I may as well tell you something...It finally got cold here in DC. Over the weekend I'm planning on breaking out all of my sweaters. Hopefully they still fit. I'm also going to be deciding on a sweater to knit for myself. I'm torn between Marsha from this Fall's Rowan magazine and the SitCom Chic (SCC) made in a wool blend. I think i'm going to end up going with the SCC unless I can find an affordable mohair blend. Heaven knows I can't afford 11 skeins at $9 a pop!

And I'm definitely going to make my mother the SCC so I might make mine first so I can work the kinks out of the pattern.