Archive for September, 2007

Survival Skills 22Sep07


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Thanks for all your kind comments regarding my posterior, it’s good to know that you guys have my back! Ha!

Anyway, putting all butt jokes behind us (ha again!), let’s get back to the topic at hand.

Today (for lack of better blog post ideas), I’m going to go all Martha Stewart and share some of my favorite tips for surviving Fall.

  • Be Flexible

    In New Mexico, Fall is a very very fickle thing. You have to be ready to go full bore with warm clothing and hot tea one day, and then bust out the shorts the next day. Case in point was Thursday and Friday. Thursday was a cold and rainy day, so I wore some handknit socks, drank hot beverages and made a delicious fall cake (more on that in a second). Friday seemed to be along the same lines, with a thick morning fog covering my house…fast forward to 12 PM and it’s sunny and 80 degrees. So while Fall vacillates from one extreme to the next, my advice is to keep a supply of warm knitted socks and some flip-flops near by.

  • Drink Hot Liquids

    Tea is especially good for warmth on a chilly evening, when paired with a nice hot Fall cake (just a little more patience). I recommend some tasty black tea with milk and honey.

    the return of tea season

  • Knit, Knit, Knit

    The best way to cope with those chilly weather blues is to work your fingers to the bone, making some knits to keep out the cold. Fall may not be the best time to start an extensive Christmas knitting list, but hey, you’re already crazy right? Any extra craziness is like a drop in the ocean, so bring it on!

    gentleman's fancy sock

  • Make a Delicious Cake

    the trusty old mixer

    This one might just be my favorite cool weather remedy, and it’s certainly the tastiest. My cake in this case is a Chocolate Zucchini Cake, which my Mom has been making since I was a little kid. It sounds like a strange combo, but it’s really a lot like a carrot cake, and so very chocolaty. I’m drooling just thinking about it now! Oh, and because I’m a nice guy, click the cake picture for the recipe.

    best cake ever

Nothing like the start of Fall to make me feel all domestic. Now get to baking! ;)

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Not Sitting on the Dock of the Bay 18Sep07


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I don’t know if I’ve ever been happier for Monday to roll around than yesterday. Because this Monday brought with it the promise of a better week, one where I could ride my bike and sit on my butt without wincing. You never know what’cha got until it’s gone right? Well, let’s just say, you never know how much you appreciate having the ability to sit down until it becomes very painful. I don’t really want to go into details (because they are slightly more intimate than I prefer to reveal on this blog), but let’s just say I ended up having a minor procedure last week involving my tailbone and a scalpel. Ouch.

one bourbon, one scotch and one beer

My solace came in the form of doctor mandated hot baths, which can be very nice when paired with a scotch on the rocks. Thankfully, this week is already a lot better, and I’m almost back to normal. I can ride my bike again, and sit down at work without needing an IV of Ibuprofen (not really, but it would have been nice…).

And another reason to appreciate Monday? Why getting your “therapy for a crappy week” purchases of course! First up is this sweet shirt that I scored at Threadless. They printed this one a while ago, and it just got reprinted, so I jumped on it.

hybrid schmybrid

I think it’s also a sign of good things to come with my next grand transportation experiment, as I am now car-less for the week, and maybe next week too. It’s another long story, but someone hit me quite a few months back, and I’m finally just getting my car fixed now. It’s just body damage, but that means it’s gonna take a long time in the shop. Giving me the perfect opportunity to see how truly car-free I can be. My goal is to only bum rides off friends and family if absolutely necessary, otherwise I’ll take the bus and ride my bike everywhere else. I don’t think it should be too difficult, as I’m already riding my bike lots of places already, but I’m interested to see how it goes when the car safety net is no longer there. I’ll keep you updated.

My other “poor me, I can’t sit down” purchase is this lovely hand-spun yarn:

hot buttered rum indeed

I came across this link to Crumbs & Co. in one of Megan’s posts, and when I clicked over, I saw it. The very same skein of yarn I had seen on Flickr and drooled over was sitting right there, pleading with me to buy it. So I did. And now I have this lovely skein of yarn in my possession. It’s Merino spun up in DK weight and it’s absolutely exquisite. Go check out Crumbs for yourself, she has some awesome stuff!

And to top off my wonderfully good happy week, I took this awesome picture yesterday. Things are definitely looking up. Thank goodness for the ability to sit. And scotch.

cloud sundae
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Subtle Hints 10Sep07


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It seems like so many knit bloggers these days are turning their thoughts to Fall, with visions of pumpkins, sweaters and delicious ales, and I was starting to feel a tad bit jealous. It’s still been pretty darn warm here in New Mexico, but I think that tide is beginning to change. Although it’s not fully here, there are small signs of Fall here and there, if you know what to look for. Subtle hints such as the return of the comforter to the bed, a nippy morning ride to work, and the beginning of the State Fair are making me dizzy with anticipation. So Fall? Hurry up, cause I’m ready. Case in point:

insane in the membrane

Progress is now cruising along on my Seamles Hybrid, as I’m about halfway to working the yoke. Even though it’s a forest of stockinette, I’ve added a bit of spice with some green stripes (I was so struck by the hem that I just had to include the green in the body). Also, in a fit of bravado, I decided that this was the project that I was going to use to hunker down and learn continental knitting. (That’s holding the yarn in your left hand for my non-knitting friends.) It was a bit of a gutsy move, especially considering the problems I’ve already had with gauge on this sweater, but it seems to have paid off. It was a lot easier to learn than I thought (although I did have some practice with the We Call Them Pirates Hat a month or so ago), and my gauge is the same. And the main reason for this move? Well, let’s just say I’m a crazy speed demon now. Sometimes I come close to doubling my English Knitting speed, which makes for a quick sweater.

seamless hybrid - well on its way

Here’s another sign of Fall that I received today. Although soap is a good thing to use year round, this stuff makes me long for the days of cold tile floors and hot showers. I acquired it through the witty and talented Megan, in a soap and yarn swap. It’s pretty much a win-win: Megan gets some cool Yarn Nerd yarn (which she made into an amazing sock), and I get to smell amazing and be squeaky clean. Pretty good deal if you ask me. So thanks Megan, you’ve made this Nerd very happy!

soapy goodness

Now you’ll have to excuse me, I’m going to go take a hot shower before bedtime. ;)

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Yarn Overdose 07Sep07


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You know, one of these days I’m going to actually blog more than once a week…but that’s not the case today. I think Maryse hit my mood about blogging right on the head, so I’m going to copy her and oust the transitional sentences. Lists rule.

  1. The order for The Loopy Ewe is done. Phew! I took Labor Day weekend to finish it up, and shipped it out last Monday. Sheri has already received it, and says that it should be up sometime soon, so keep an eye on her store. And in case you wanted to know, this is what 100 skeins of Yarn Nerd yarn looks like.

    so that's what 100 skeins of yarn looks like!

    Holy Sheep Batman, it barely fits on my little table! It was a lot of work, but wasn’t nearly as hard as I anticipated. It’s easy to get into a rhythm and dye up around 15 skeins in an evening and 40 or so on a Saturday. So after a weekend here and a few spare evenings there, it was all dyed. Reskeining is a different beast though. This is about how I felt after reskeining all 100 skeins.

    pooped Dallas?

    But it was still a blast, and I’m excited to do another order in the future! Oh, and 1500 MHz Sport Merino is now on order, so look for that soon. Since I know a lot of you want it (including me!).

  2. The bike is fantastic. Not only are my hot legs getting even hotter (gotta love the efficiency of clipless pedals), I’m also quite speedy these days. I guess that’s what happens when you shave 10-15 pounds off your commuting machine. Also, my adventure with the ABQ bus system continues, as I’m finding more and more ways to incorporate biking and the bus into my errands and daily routine. If I were in an RPG, my character would have the following stats: Gas Usage = -20, Knitting Time = +50, Pounds Lost = -15 and Smile Factor = +10. (If you have no idea what I’m talking about, perhaps you should unsubscribe and save yourself before it’s too late.)

  3. I’m all caught up on the sweater front, and am cruising away on the body. I do need to start a sock though, since this project will soon become to large to squeeze into my bike saddlebags and wield on the bus. I do need a bit of room for a change of clothes and a sack lunch… ;)

    back on the horse

    Oh, and Mom? I’ll work on your shawl tonight, ok? Promise!

  4. If I seem to be lacking my usual nerdy exuberance today, it’s probably only because I’m all alone in cubicle land, and I haven’t had human contact in around 4 hours. And after 4 hours of computer programming, you kinda start to feel like a computer yourself.

  5. Finally, here’s another little project that I’ve been hiding up my sleeves for a few weeks now. If you are in Scout’s Swag Club, and haven’t received your latest yarn fix, you may want to stop reading, since this will spoil it. Inserting requisite paragraph breaks…

    Not yet.

    Nope, still no dice.

    Are we there yet?

    Maybe.

    Oops, false alarm.

    Keep going…

    Almost there.

    You’ll get a cookie if you keep going!

    Ok, not really, but a fake gold star at least.

    Scrolling all the live long day!

    . . . .

    Oh, now what’s this?

    40 skeins!

    Why it’s lovely yarn! 40 skeins of it in fact, for Scout’s Swag Club for August. Scout asked me if I would like to be a guest dyer for the club a few months back, and I graciously accepted. The colorway is called Chuck T’s, and I think it’s quite smashing. Thanks again Scout, I appreciate the shout out!

  6. Alright that’s it. Move along, nothing left to see. And have a lovely weekend. :)

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Oooohhh, Shiny! 01Sep07


28 Comments - you know you want to

Hey everyone, thanks for all your great comments on my yarn being at The Loopy Ewe! I’m finishing up the dyeing and reskeining this weekend, so it should be off to Sheri and up at the store soon. Keep an eye out! Also, I’ll be placing an order for some 1500 MHz Sport Merino as soon as I ship off the wholesale order, so keep an eye out for that yarn at www.yarnnerd.com.

In other news, I got a new toy!

oh so shiny.

That’s right, I finally had enough money saved up to go pay off my bike and get it out of layaway. I picked it up last night, and my Dad helped me put on some clipless pedals and showed me a few things, and off I went! I was a bit worried about using the clipless pedals, but commuting these last few months has made me a lot more confident on the bike, and my fears turned out to be unfounded. The pedals are super easy to use and it’s definitely a lot more efficient than straight push pedals. My Dad was kind enough to take a picture of me riding (wow, I look like a 5 year old boy in that picture) around the neighborhood.

fancy new bike!

It feels really great to have a bike that actually fits me, and I’m really looking forward to next week’s commute now. I’m interested to see how much time I can shave off, since this bike is super fast. Oh, and it’s super light too, so it should be a bit easier to load it onto the bus to school (and hopefully it will get me less grouchy bus driver stares, since the mountain bike was a bit hard to load onto that rack).

All in all, it’s only been a few months since I started bike commuting, but it’s already drastically changed the way I look at transportation. I absolutely love my commute now, and I’m always looking for opportunities to ride instead of driving. Plus, I’m so happy to have finally found a form of exercise that I really enjoy. In the past I never found something I really loved, so it was always hard to stick to a routine. I just wish I had given cycling a serious try sooner!

I also have another pair of socks under my belt to show off. (Two pairs in consecutive posts! What is this blog coming to?)

Remember these?

Gentleman's Lozenge Socks

“Jolly Good Chap” Socks

  • Pattern: Gentleman’s Sock with Lozenge Pattern from Knitting Vintage Socks, by Nancy Bush.
  • Yarn: Hand-Spun by Anne, received in a swap.
  • Needles / Gauge: 7.5 spi on US #1’s. Knitted with Magic Loop.
  • Construction: I stuck to the pattern on this one, except I used a slip stitch heel instead of a stockinette one. I also modified the lozenge pattern to be over 60 stitches, since my gauge was less than the book’s.
  • Completion Time: 4 months (May - August)
Pip, pip, Cheerio!

I really love these socks. This was the first time (at the time of cast-on) that I had used hand-spun, and it was a very different and wonderful experience. The wool that Anne used is a bit more coarse than I was used to, but it makes a really sturdy and warm fabric. Anne’s spinning job was superb, and I know that these socks will be around for many years to come. They’re a bit slouchy around the leg, because the pattern gauge is a bit bigger than stockinette gauge, but the ribbed cuff holds them up, and I think that slouchy socks are wonderful. They’ll be perfect for cold winter evenings, to keep my feet warm while I drink coffee and knit. And the pattern gives them a very sophisticated look; so much so, that I fancy myself a Brit while wearing them. ;)

So thanks Anne, the yarn is wonderful, and the socks are even better!

Lastly, I want to leave you with a bit of a somber warning. If you are ever knitting a sweater, be sure to count the number of stitches in your gauge swatch instead of assuming. Or, if you always knit your swatches over 32 stitches, don’t make a 36 stitch swatch, and then measure your gauge thinking your swatch is 32 stitches. Cause that means all your impeccable math and perfect sizing doesn’t mean anything…, and it leads to this inevitable outcome:

gauge: such a cruel mistress.

Oh, and listen to that nagging voice in your head that says, “hey, maybe before you get too much farther, you should take it off the needles and try it on!” Cause it will be right. At least I was only 1 inch past the hem, so no harm no foul this time. I forge ahead, because I am determined to have a cosy sweater to go with my Englishman socks this winter.

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