The Golden Iris

Okay, so this is actually old, but let's pretend it's not! Because I have very little other content to offer you. I finally mustered the nerve to crochet something marginally useful and pretty. Not that I can't crochet, but I don't have the pattern-reading fluency yet. And I can't make anything too complicated because I'm left-handed and if I'm not careful it all comes out backward. So I made the Mermaid Scarf , which is a free pattern from Interweave. The stats: 5 1/2 balls of Laines du Nord Cashsilk H hook Lots of safety pins, but not too much time! Once I got the hang of where to attach the motifs to each other, this thing was a breeze. It comes out something like this. I don't know what I did to the camera settings, I'm sorry. Here it is laying in a lump. Or you can roll it up, which makes for an interesting gifty package, if you need something gifty. I didn't have enough space to wet-block it, because we were in the process of packing to...

Sarah tagged me! Here are ten of my favorite things... although I can't make an awesome picture collage, I can make a good list. 1. My new apartment! I think I'm in love... except for the insects that have invaded a week after we moved in.... 2. Knitting! And yarn! Fuzzy! Fluffy!.... oh no, drowning in yarn! 3. Citrus fruits. All of them. (Especially when they come with gin. Or chocolate. Oh wait, did I say that out loud?) 4. Books! I am starting to love books again after escaping from graduate school. 5. Plants - indoors, outdoors, any kind. I love me some plants. 6. Cooking and baking. I think I'm happiest when I'm in the kitchen, especially when it's with someone I love. Oh, and eating, too. 7. Art nouveau. I can't get enough peacocks, or drawings with heavy black outlines, or heavily stylized flowers. 8. Being outside on a nice day. Okay, generally being outside. 9. Animals and insects and spiders, most of them. They fascinate me. ...

Well, it's been a hell of a couple of weeks. We had a lovely Thanksgiving and trip through upstate New York. Unfortunately the New Jersey turnpike was awful, but it's always awful - what can you do? After coming back to Virginia, we began to pack up and move. This is what life looked like for a few days... And this is what life looks like now: We live in a happy yellow house! We're not all the way unpacked yet but the kitchen is all set up and that's most of the battle. I'm still working, trying to keep up with the work vs. life thing, and get through all the issues surrounding moving. Hopefully soon I'll find more time to knit!

We're up in Rochester for Thanksgiving (we both got to take the whole week off - yay!) and I have a little time to catch up on the internets and some blogging. We drove up to New York through the mountains of Pennsylvania. As we climbed in altitude the weather worsened and it began to rain, then snow. We passed a four-car pileup in Liverpool and had to slow down to get through the snow. But we arrived safely and things have been pretty nice here. I finally finished my gloves a while back. So now I stay a little warmer on my way to work. They look kind of stupid just laying there but they fit really well. I made sure to make the cuffs extra-long to keep my wrists warm, because that's the greatest annoyance about gloves. I'm dealing with some personal stuff these days - looks like things will be a bit hectic for a while.

Well, this is a bit awkward, as I have apparently fallen off the face of the earth for nearly two months. However, I have now figured out how to use the camera we have, and I have my own memory card now, so I can make with more pictures! As I'm becoming more balanced between job and home, I think I'll have more time to blog again. I am still, unfortunately, learning the camera settings. But I'll try to make these better next time. I've been working on some standard socks with the new Kaffe Fassett sock yarn. I love the colors, love the yarn. Happy. These are my basic top-down pattern with a longer heel flap and 3x1 ribbing. They may not be exciting to knit, but they're great to wear and I know I'll go back to them over and over again. I also had to get some of the new Socks that Rock Raven series... the little bitty goth part of me decided that I couldn't go on without some nice black yarn. This is the Korppi colorway, which doesn't, of course, phot...

I will blame being at work 8 hours a day for no significant bloggage. Of course, I know many, many other people are able to handle getting a post out every once in a while, but evidently since my job involves typing at a computer all day, I can't get it done. So here is a photo-less knitting roundup, because I gave my digital camera away and I haven't yet learned how to use S's. Old things: Gloves: at the same stage they were at in the last photo. Yep, I'm awesome like that. Anastasia socks: I've finished the first and am halfway through the foot on the second, and somehow I am not really working on them right now. Raglan V-neck: is getting ripped out. It's a little too short, a little too small, the raglan stuff doesn't fit right, and it's a little too itchy. Maybe it will get made into something with some jacquard-style fair isle on it. Who knows. New things: Mermaid scarf : I have somehow managed to crochet and not die. I will probably run o...

I have a feeling I'll be playing catch-up for a while. As I get used to my new job I think it will become easier, but that may be a while. So I have worked for a week in my new job and I'm happy to be going back tomorrow. I'm getting to learn about interesting things as I write reports on patents. My co-workers seem pretty nice and I get to go home for lunch. I have found some time to knit, amazingly... although most of it was this weekend. I have been slowly working on my custom-fit gloves. I think it's important to make the process look as scary as possible and add all the extra dpns I can to stick out of the glove. I don't know why this project is going so slowly, but I'm just not excited about making those fingers. Maybe once it cools off a little.... And I am impatient and started another sock. These are Anastasia socks, in Claudia Hand Paint Bearded Iris. It's shades of brown and purple, even if my camera cannot properly photograph royal purple t...

I started my new job today and whew, I'm pooped! But I'm looking forward to going back tomorrow, so that's a good sign. The work is reasonable and interesting, the people are pretty nice, there's fresh coffee whenever I want it, and I can go home for lunch. All in all, very good. The BF resigned today to take a new, better job and soon he will be working at home. All is well here. And with no further ado, here, please look at where I keep my socks. They make me happy. I have to go clean up the kitchen and go to bed. I hope your week is going well!

Sometimes you just have to love stockinette stitch. I have been racing along on my new v-neck pullover and I've gotten to the point of finishing the body. All I have to do now is add the collar and sleeves. Amazingly, there will be no seams whatsoever in this sweater! I'm not even going to bind off at the neck; I'm just going to keep knitting for the collar. The sleeves are all picked up and knit, so when I bind off, all there will be to do is weave in some ends and block it. While the pattern says the finished size is 39" - and when calculated, that's about what it should be - it's a little snugger than that. I think the reason is because I am knitting it out of wool and the original is in cotton. Here is a lovely headless photo of me wearing a half-finished sweater (these are always the best!) For the first time in weeks, it has been cool enough here to actually open the windows and get some fresh air in the apartment without feeling like we're goin...

No knitting today - I have other kinds of good news to share. I got the job that I've been agonizing for weeks about! All my history and museum education aside, I'm now going to be working as a technical writer for a very small firm that does research and analysis of intellectual property and patent law for investors. I'll get to write about different inventions all the time, which does kind of fit in with some of the graduate work I did on the history of technology. The business end is not so familiar, but that's okay. And the best part is I can walk to work! My former museum employers will probably be disappointed, but I've discovered I like to eat and I'm halfway decent at writing. So on to a new kind of adventure! I have two weeks until I start, so my summer vacation is getting extended just a little longer. More time to knit and make cupcakes and get new work clothes! Don't worry, this will still be a knitting blog. I have no interest in writing ...

I have joined the masses having fun over at Ravelry , and I, too, am having a great time obsessing over getting every last little detail on line. I'm "GoldenIris" over there, so if you haven't yet, look me up and say hi. Ravelry is also a fabulous way to occupy my mind and time as I wait to hear back from the possible employer. I have to get through today and probably most of tomorrow! But that is okay and I can be patient. And once I get a job I'm springing for a paid flickr account so I can really get the most use out of it as well as Ravelry. No more losing photos! Here's what I've been working on lately. And by lately, I mean the last three days. This is a very basic v-neck in-the-round raglan that I am just cruising along on. Well, now I'm cruising. Earlier I was very, very angry with my yarn. I swatched. There was a knot. So when I ripped out the swatch to start, I left the few yards in front of the knot behind. Then as I cast on and k...

I finally found some great buttons for the Baby Surprise Jacket I finished knitting a little while back, so now I can say it is officially done. Don't they look just like little M&Ms? The stats: Pattern: Elizabeth Zimmermann's Baby Surprise Jacket Yarn: a little over 3 balls Hobby Kids Needles: #7? Buttons: From a nice yarn shop we visited in Bethesda, Knit and Stitch Modifications: As you can tell, my buttonholes aren't even. Oh well! I think they look fine where they are. I made this on slightly larger yarn and needles, so it's a bit bigger than an ordinary BSJ. Finally, like many people have been doing these days, I did one round of single crochet around the neckline to neaten it up. Otherwise, this is very much the same friendly BSJ that we know and love! I can't wait to find a small person for this. In other news, I should be receiving my Ravelry invite this week! I have been watching the list with increasing anticipation and as of right now I...

Finally, a finished sweater! Even though it was almost 90 degrees outside, I threw on my fuzzy little sweater for photos out there. And this was the best I could do for a facial expression -- it was still better than any photo that would have been taken indoors. The stats: Pattern: Melissa Wehrle ( neoknits )'s Grannie Smith Cardigan Yarn: Crystal Palace Kid Merino, from Simply Socks Yarn Company (looks like it's no longer available here, but I found it to be a good, economical substitute for Rowan Kidsilk Haze or K1C2 Douceur et Soie - it doesn't have silk, however, but some merino and nylon along with the kid mohair.) Buttons: Some old lavender-colored shirt buttons from mom's button box Needles: #3 and #4 nylon circs Modifications: I decided I wanted more, smaller buttons, so I tried (unsuccessfully the first time) to redo the math for the button bands, screwed up the first time, got upset about ripping out buttonholes in mohair, and eventually fixed it. Othe...

So whoever told me (which was probably nobody at all and really I'm just making this up) that a 1-lb cone of fingering weight wool yarn offered me infinite possibilities was wrong. What it really offers is unlimited waffling. If you know how hard it is for me to make up my mind about anything, you know this is a bad, bad thing. Anyway, here I am with my pound of yarn in a color that is not grey or green or blue, but some intermediate, indeterminate color. I thought, hooray! Finally I can make a big pretty lacy thing and not worry about running out of yarn! Enter Exhibit A: The Print O' The Wave Stole. At first I thought I was going to make this up as a gift at the end of the school year, and guess what? Of course it didn't get finished. In the interim I'd made a few things from Victorian Lace Today and subsequently decided I didn't care for the construction of the stole. As you can see, this was after I'd begun applying the border. Well, interesting. On...

Evidently I was terribly mistaken and let the computer confuse me. I can indeed take photos off my camera, edit, and upload them. Guess I've been a fool these past weeks. But now there's no stopping me! Without further ado, let's ring in the new incarnation of the blog with a bright and sassy FO. These are my new Sidewinder socks. I'm not sure if it was the novelty of the project or what, but when I sat down to knit these they seemed to go very quickly. Even the 100+ stitches of grafting weren't that bad (but it does help if there's a movie in the background). The stats: Pattern: nonaKnits ' Sidewinders, which were put up serially in her blog starting here . Yarn: 2 skeins Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Bittersweet (see notes). Needles: #2 circulars Modifications: I couldn't get the recommended gauge on #2 needles for my size and didn't like the thinner fabric on #3s, so I made the largest size in length and fudged the width to be wider t...

First of all, I'd like to thank everybody for your supportive comments on my last post. I'm glad to know I'm not alone with occasional frustration and misunderstandings over something as inessential as a hobby. And don't worry, I don't get nasty comments like that all the time; mostly I just get mild confusion. When we're watching movies, I get the same reaction as you do, Sarah -- you know, I am capable of walking and chewing gum at the same time, so why not knitting and paying attention to a movie?! In any case, I'll still knit happily on. Unfortunately we're still having computer issues over here, so I can't show you any knitting photos (but I finished my Sidewinders, so hopefully I can show you those soon!) Yet through the magic of iPhone, I can show you this fabulous photo of Jack White and the wonderful mirrorball that took my breath away during Saturday night's show. Actually, it's not that great of a photo, and it doesn't su...

"Knitting is a stupid hobby." Those few words, spoken by the other member of my household, nearly drove me to inarticulate rage last night. We had sat down to dinner - enchiladas, if you want to know - and I was in the midst of talking about the new 25th Anniversary Vogue Knitting magazine. I had wanted to share it, show how it was put together, and figured we could have a laugh at the preponderance of advertising and bizarre design that filled its pages. Alas, this was not to be so. Not only was I interrupted with a complete non sequitur on his part, showing me a different magazine from another genre (hello, can you sit down and listen for a minute? you're not the only one here with interests or opinions), but the reaction I got was totally unexpected. I was shaking my head at the latest Maie Landra-Koigu design (a suit set with short tuxedo pants, modular construction to the tune of 55 skeins of KPPPM and sequins, sequins for crying out loud), hoping to get some a...

Beautiful and delicious. And quick! I think Argosy gives a lot of bang for the buck, especially if you pick a yarn you love. This is a pretty simple pattern that is easy to memorize and fun to knit. I don't often make things twice, but hey -- I will definitely recommend this pattern. I wish I could just up and splurge on Noro yarns so often, but maybe these things are like candy: it's only fun if you only get it every once in a while. The stats: Pattern: Vyvyan 's Argosy , on knitty.com Yarn: Noro Silk Garden Lite 2011, 2 balls Needles: #6 circs that were annoyingly long, but they're the only ones I've got Mods: I widened the scarf to 7 blocks wide rather than 5; I like to wear my fingering-weight Clapotis and figured I'd be happier with a wider, slightly shorter, scarf. I got 22 center-panel repeats with just a little ball of yarn left over. I haven't actually measured the scarf, but it is a nice scarf length and I wouldn't want it to be much...

Please enjoy this slightly stiff photo of my foot inside what actually turned out to be a sock. Can we say, hellooo, awesome vertical stripes?! Shocking, indeed. With a foot not in it it doesn't seem quite sock-shaped, but I'm sure a washing and a blocking will take care of that. I love my cheap ol' wire coat hanger sock blockers. I need to get on the ball and make the second sock, but I've spent most of my knitting time today working on the button bands, collar, and sewing on the Grannie Smith cardigan. I've got one sleeve left to set in, the side seams to do, and the buttons to sew on, and then it will be ready for fall. Unfortunately doing the sewing on mohair requires serious natural light, or sitting under my hot hot halogen lamp, so it will have to wait for another day. I've been killing time today while the other member of my household has savored the latest offering in the J.K. Rowling enterprise; it arrived around 2PM today in a cute little Harry-P...

While I am probably unable to believe six impossible things before breakfast, I have been able to scare up some weird and wacky things to do. Like this Sidewinder sock. I hope blocking makes these better, because a fix seems to require ripping out 100% of the sock. Which I have finished knitting. And I ripped out the provisional cast-on, and have been avoiding trying to graft 125 stitches together all afternoon. I put it around my foot, and I think it will fit. I think. Kind of. It used surprisingly little yarn, which makes me even more suspicious. The thought of stripes running the wrong way for an ordinary sock sways me when I am discouraged.... But I love love love these colors and textures! Even garter stitch is pleasing on little bitty needles, and I really like the feel of it. Even if it is a weirdly shaped object that may or may not actually fit, depending partially on if I can summon up the guts to actually, you know, sew it together. Because if I didn't, that wou...

Lately I've been thinking about a blog overhaul. We've been considering buying new domain names, and I could actually have an independent blog, all of which sounds cool and scary. With all this time on my hands, I thought, I could surely think of a name that was something clever, easy to remember, and representative of me and my interests. Well, I thought wrong. I am completely free of clever, snappy ideas. It's almost blissful, until I remember that it's really irritating. It's as if I don't know myself well enough to put my essence into a word or two. Then again, maybe it's a good thing that I can't fit into a word or two. Let me know if you think you could do it. Know what else is really irritating? A room that looks like this: That's the second bedroom in the apartment, which I tried to tackle today. I got about halfway through and suddenly ran out of closet space. What used to go in a huge walk-in closet now has to fit in about 4 fee...

Even though it was almost 100 degrees and humid here yesterday, I ran the oven to bake cupcakes. Normally I'd balk at the energy use, especially with the air conditioning on (we really should get a toaster oven) but these were a special request from my overworked partner-in-moving. And since moving is a pain in the neck, he gets what he asks for. Marbled cupcakes, from scratch. I used the old Betty Crocker Dinette Cake recipe (the original edition of this says something along the lines of " 'most cakes are too large for my small family!' Here's one you can actually finish before it goes stale!") so it wouldn't make so many, partially because I didn't want 2 dozen cupcakes hanging around, partially because I didn't have enough sugar, and partially because I only have two six-cup muffin tins. I had almost forgotten what real cake tastes like because I've made too many box mix cakes lately. The only drawback is that I don't have an elect...

...more or less. I moved this weekend and while nobody likes moving, I'm glad it's over and I had no major snags with packing, driving, unloading or returning the truck. Most of the public space in the apartment was unpacked yesterday. This, however, is what the spare room looks like: Same boxes, different apartment. I have to find room for all of that somewhere (where, I don't know) and make that useable as a guest room again. Yikes. But I have found free time to knit! Hooray! To celebrate being all in one place, I'm starting a whole bunch of projects. There is Noro Silk Garden Lite in a beautiful colorway (greys, pinks, purple, brown) for an Argosy scarf . There is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Bittersweet for Sidewinder socks , which I have been dying to try since the pattern came out. And there is about half of a Baby Surprise Jacket in Hobby Kids, which I started yesterday. No, there is no emergency knitting needed for imminent babies, but I like to have...

After weeks of pretending -- and believing -- I've moved to Virginia, I had to come back to Delaware and face reality. I might have been living in VA but all my stuff was in DE. It's amazing how long you can live out of a suitcase provided you have laundry facilities.... But this is my reality: A living room full of boxes and tubs. For a (ex-)grad student, I don't have that many books, but for somebody who wants to move, I have way too many books. Funny that. And gee, in this photo you can't hardly see the two giant tubs of yarn, or the two sewing machines, or the, um, other tub worth of yarn that hasn't been packed yet. Right. This is what a yarn diet gets me? The kitchen and the closets haven't been touched. Those are next. Yuck....