yarntherapy

a simple bodice

  a simple bodice 
  Originally uploaded by laurelann

Be afraid - I have actual knitting to show you!

My (finally!) finished Simple Knitted Bodice, pattern by Stefanie Japel. I actually finished this last month but yesterday was the first time the weather was cool enough to wear it.

The yarn is yummy silk from Tilli Tomas, color is Moss. I thought I was running out of yarn, so I made the sleeves shorter. Then I found a full skein of yarn hiding on my shelf. oops!

I really like the pattern and will probably make it again. I added some length in the body, and I probably should have added some above the waist trim so it sits better on my body. Some day I will learn how to add short row shaping to a project.

I posted this via flickr because for some reason I can't get Typepad to rotate photos when I upload them from iPhoto. Am I stupid for not being able to figure this out or is it a Typepad "feature"?

brevity is the soul of wit...

Yes, yes, it has been pointed out to me (in person!) that I haven't posted in a while. Oops!

So.... the thing is, I don't have any photos right now of all my recent knitting, and I hate writing about knitting (especially finished knitting!) without a visual reference or two. Soon, I promise. I even had someone offer to take pictures so you all don't have to look at the palm tree photos over my couch in the background once again.

I do have  bit of knitting news to share - I've finally got a real knitting group to hang out with! (in person, I mean. Not on Ravelry!) Some of us at Wicked finally got it together and organized a group that meets every Wednesday between shows - yesterday we had our biggest group ever - 7 people! Woo! It's a great, great break in the middle of the week, and I think it's going to be a really fun thing to keep up with. We do need a better name, though - "Broadway Stich and Bitch" is so boring.

OK, what I really want to talk about today - TV. Right now my obsessions are Season Three of Doctor Who, and DVDs of Slings and Arrows. Doctor Who just rocks, and Slings and Arrows is in many ways the movie of my life. If you've ever worked in the theater, rent it. Trust me.

So between the hotness of David Tennant as the Doctor and the Hamlet-themed first season of Slings and Arrows, I saw this today and my head just about exploded:

Stewart and Tennant to lead RSC Hamlet.

Patrick Stewart. David Tennant. Hamlet.

Must. Get. To. Stratford.

can't be bothered...

... to post any photos at the moment, but there is knitting happening around here.

• I finished the knitting on the SKB - when I realized I had extra yarn, I went ahead and took out the bottom border (thankfully the sequinned yarn held up OK) and added about an inch and a half in length to the torso, then redid the border. Much better! I definitely need to block this, though, because I need a bit more length above the waist, hopefully the silk will stretch a bit for me. Other wise I'm really happy with it - can't wait to wear it in cooler weather.

• I had a weak moment on the Webs site, and picked up a couple of things. One was SWTC Gianna, a chunky wool/soy blend. I really like this yarn! I just wish it came in more appealing colors. It's getting hard to find - i think it may be discontinued. It would be great for the Lace Leaf Pullover from Loop-D-Loop. I'm using it for a shrug based on one from Anthropologie - pattern here.

• This pattern is so cool! I'll be starting it next, from some Elann.com alpaca that I've had for ages.

I finally caved and purchased the whole Options needle set from Knitpicks - so glad I did! I'm trying to use up stash and make a few Christmas gifts while I have the time, and it's hard when you don't have the right needles. I love love love these needles! So pointy! Cable so bendy! And purple! I already had a few needle tips and cables and I am so happy to have the whole set. I'm having fun organizing them into their little binder as well! I got out the P-Touch and I'm labeling all the pockets with the appropriate size.

OK, there's other stuff I've finished recently, check my flickr if you're interested. As I said, I can't be bothered...... (at least right now!)

Good Things

• This recipe. I'm eating it right now over couscous with a little feta crumbled on top. So good.

• My new necklace from Alyssa Ettinger:

• Haagen Dazs Mayan Chocolate ice cream - no longer just a limited edition!

black hole update

So. The tote? On my couch, under a pillow and some random yarn.

The needles? Who knows. I KNOW I had two sets. I have the envelopes that the needles live in. I don't know where they are!

The yarn? Still there. Anyone know what I can do with a single skein of Pure & Simple?

Actually, I'm toying with the idea of ripping out the bottom of the SKB and adding in some length now that I have the yarn .... I don't know if the Disco Lights will hold up to major frogging, though, due to the sequins.

Sigh.

I busted my knee at work (patellar inpingement, anyone?) so I'm home for a couple of days and I plan on photographing and posting all my recent finished stuff as well as a couple of new works-in-progress.

I have clearly lost my mind.

Or maybe there are gremlins in my apartment?

I swore that today would be about finishing some works-in-progress (gotta get everything up on Ravelry, dontcha know!) so I pulled out the SKB, tried it on, decided that all that was needed were the rows of purl ridges on the sleeves. Finish it, block it, done, right?

Can't find the needles. I mean, I can't find one of my #2 Knitpicks circs that I need to finish the sleeves. I know I had two sets. That's how I knit the lace on the sleeves. But there was only one set in the bag with the project.

Oh, it gets better from here.

I found my other project tote this morning and put it aside while I was clearing the closet looking for the needle. Then I realized that it might be IN that tote. So I went to get the tote and ..... and I can't. find. the. tote. anywhere.

There's, like, a ten foot radius maximum that it could be in but I can't find it. Anywhere!

Believe it or not, it gets even better.

I start going through things on my shelves - baskets of fiber and needles, mostly. Now, on the SKB and on the Sweetpea Shawl that I just finished, I was afraid I was going to run out of yarn, so I was very conservative and even planned to make 3/4 sleeves on the SKB (which I like better, anyway). The shawl needs fringe and I wasn't sure if I had enough yarn left for that, either.

So what do I find under some random fiber in one of the baskets?

A partial skein of Classic Elite Flash from the shawl. And a full, untouched, brand new skein of Tilli Tomas Pure & Simple silk. For the SKB. Thirty bucks worth of yarn that I now don't need.

WTF?

Close call

So you all know I love baseball. One of the most funnest things about baseball is the minor leagues. I mean, the names alone: the Albuquerque Isotopes, the Hickory Crawdads, the Montgomery Biscuits.... how do you not love that?

I recently discovered that the A-ball club in Lowell, Massachusetts is called the Lowell Spinners! A nod to the mill-town history of Lowell. One of their mascots is even named Millie! (Why she's an alligator, I have no idea.)

This is their logo:

Baseball and yarn! What could be better?

I was thisclose to buying a T-shirt online because it's so damn cute. Then I saw it.....

Yeah. The Spinners are a Red Sox club. They call themselves .... oh, the pain... "Thread Sox Nation".

And one of their big causes is the Yankee Elimination Project.

So that's one cute T-shirt I won't be buying. Sniff.

kid in a candy store

For the last month or so, I've been like a little kid waiting for the candy store to open, hanging on the gate, wistfully looking at the goodies inside. On Saturday, the owner of the store finally came and rolled up the gate and let me in.

I got my Ravelry invite!

I know there are a lot of folks out there who are also waiting patiently, and I know it's annoying to read people's blogs raving about how it's the best thing since sliced bread Clapotis. I won't gush too much - there's a great, thoughtful review here if you're interested. I will say that it's worth the wait. Just seeing what everyone is up to is inspiring to me, and I am more excited to knit - and to blog about it - than I have been in a while.

I finally got my Spain photos up on flickr - it's a LOT of photos. Feel free to browse :-)

Not on flickr but here are my purchases from Persones Llanes in Barcelona:

On the right is a yummy bunch of merino fiber from Germany, ready to spin if I ever get proficient with my spindle. On the left, a sari remnant from India - the silk threads are easily pulled apart and can be used in spinning or other crafts. I loved these two together, and I envision yarn with the sari silk accenting the merino.

I also picked up a skein of rustic wool from a farm in Spain - a sheep-to-skein sort of operation. I wanted something local as a souvenir - it's a really pretty berry color, but it's really scratchy. I'm not sure what I'll do with it.

Well, now I guess I need to go photograph my stash for Ravelry :-) See you all there soon, I hope!

So I went to Barcelona...

  persones llanes 
  Originally uploaded by laurelann

...and I found me a yarn shop! This is Persones Llanes and it was such a pleasant surprise to find while I was wandering around the old city. I had a lovely chat with its charming owner, Miquel - hopefully I can take him on a yarn crawl of NYC one of these days!

Coolest thing about this shop? It's located on Placa de la Llana - literally, the wool plaza! It's in an area where most of the streets are named for the businesses that used to be located on them.

I might have purchased a few things......

I'm in the process of editing and uploading photos from my trip. I took a whole lotta photos. I knew I was in trouble on Day 2 when I realized that the first of my two 2-gig flash cards was nearly full. I had purchased the little thingie that allows me to transfer photos directly to my iPod but I left the cord at home. Duh. Luckily, the prices on flash cards at the camera shop near my hotel were really low, so I just picked up a third card for 20 euro.

And yes, I filled up all three cards!

so much to do...

so little time!

Holy crap, this vacation has snuck up on me! I booked it months ago and tried not to dwell on it and now I leave in a few days and I feel like I still have weeks of preparation to do before I go! I swore I wouldn't be rushing last-minute this time, but I guess that's just how I roll.

I have also been spending money like it's my job - new glasses & contacts, orthotics, shoes that fit the orthotics, stuff for the trip.....I will be eating rice & beans for months when I get back.

Still knitting, nothing done. SKB still still stalled at the sleeves, Arisaig is on a break due to tiny crazymaking needles. The shrug from Lace Style is nearly done and will be super cute - I think I'll take it on the plane with me as a layering piece. I'm not taking any knitting with me - I don't want to risk anything getting confiscated (like $200 worth of Tilli Tomas yarn.....) and I really am trying to pack light. I have watercolor pencils and a Moleskine to make art with on my trip.

I just discover this site during my blog surfing: Ravelry. It looks cool - a place to organize projects online (since I never ever organize very well in real life) as well as a place to see what others are doing and saying about all the fiber arts. Still in beta, with a waiting list for invites - I'm really looking forward to seeing it once it's all finished!