Archive for the 'dallas' CategoryPage 2 of 5

The Secret Lives of Dog Models 04 Nov 07


57 Comments

Dallas and Emma? It has come to my attention that you’re not quite the svelte dogs that you used to be. I know that shaggy is the look for dog models these days, but that’s a bit more than a winter coat you’re both growing. Dog modeling is a human eat human business, and you can’t keep up if you’re rolling around like little lard balls. It’s either lose the weight, or get replaced by some newer, hotter dog models, like that vixen of a Chihuahua down the street. It might seem rough, but it’s business baby. There are plenty of dogs who would kill for a spot on this blog, and just because you were on Cute Overload doesn’t mean you can sit around all day stuffing your faces. I can’t have my lovely knits being shown off by anything but the hottest dogs.

thhhhbbbbbppptttttt

And hey, don’t you stick that tongue out at me! I will break you, you hear? You’ll never work on this blog again! Sheesh.

Yeah, so the dogs are a bit chunky these days. And stupid me, I didn’t even notice; it took my Mom (who hadn’t seem them in a few weeks) to point out that they had grown a bit in the lateral direction. So I guess it’s more walks and no more wet food. I’ll have to be strong, especially when Emma gives me that pitiful look when I serve her dry food only. Sorry sweet cheeks, it’s dog model fat camp for you.

In less superficial news, I recently gave my shelf in my home office a yarn upgrade, and it makes me quite happy. Up to this point, all my yarn was stored in bins on the ground, and well it was about high time the stash had a more central place in the office. So I reorganized my shelf and banished a bunch of engineering books to the bottom, since yarn is way more fun than reading engineering books.

Two shelves of yarn might seem a bit pitiful, but it’s a beta lambda* for me, the man who used to only buy exact yardages for a project, without ever buying “unnecessary yarn”.

*(_a beta lambda is the official nerd unit of measure for a “butt load” of anything. it’s metric, so you can have a kilo beta lambda, which would be an obscene amount of yarn_)

gotta start somewhere right?

You may also have noticed that there are 2 big cones of the much coveted Valley Yarns English Tweed on the bottom shelf. I sat on that page for days, watching the available pounds go down, until it was too dangerous to not buy, so I picked up a cone of Light Sage and a cone of Lichen. At least one will be a Cobblestone, and I’m not sure about the other one.

In addition to giving my stash a central location for fondling, I also finished a sock this week, right after the Socktoberfest cutoff. I’m still counting it though, since technically it was done on the 31st, I just didn’t like the toe, so I replaced it with a different one a day later. That brings my grand total of Socktoberfest socks to 2, and non-matching even. Not the most prolific sock knitting month, but then again, it was a prolific yarn dyeing month.

the great pumpkin

This one is a single sock for a swap, wherein I’ll send the sock and remaining yarn to my pal, who will knit the second sock for herself. It’s a fun idea, and a great way to knit a complicated sock and ensure that you will end up with a pair.

the great pumpkin

The yarn is Yarn Nerd 900 MHz Merino, in the lovely Pumpkin shade I’ve been posting all over the blog these days. (I love me some Pumpkin), and the pattern is Cookie A’s Thelonious. It’s a nice combination of lace and ribbing that isn’t too hard to knit and looks really nice with a semi-solid yarn.

Oh, and I almost forgot, it was my 2 year knitting anniversary a few days ago! It seems like it’s been way longer, but the calendar doesn’t lie. Maybe someday I’ll be celebrating my 60 year knitting anniversary :)

So, leave some encouraging comments for my fattycake models, and I’ll pick 3 winners to be the recipient of some hand-dyed Yarn Nerd goodness. I have some tasty BFL coming in soon, and I’ll be happy to dye it up any color you like.

That’s it for me peeps, have a great Sunday!

Yarn Overdose 07 Sep 07


25 Comments

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. :)

He’s Got Legs…(You Know the Rest) 24 Aug 07


33 Comments

Ok, we have a lot of ground to cover today people, so grab some coffee and hunker down. This could take hours. You know, metaphorically speaking. And you know how we roll when there’s lots to cover at Adam Knits…bullets!

  • from the "oh my goodness, what have I gotten myself into" department:

    You may have seen this little announcement, already, but if not, this is news to you. I’m proud to announce that Yarn Nerd is the newest indie dyer at The Loopy Ewe! So now all you crazy Loopy Ewe fans can get your Yarn Nerd fix, along with all the other great yarns and stuff that Sheri stocks. I’m really excited about this, and am looking forward to breaking into the wholesale market. And if the response I’ve gotten so far is any indication, I think this will be the beginning of a great thing. I’ve admired Sheri’s shop for a while, and I e-mailed her to see if she was interested in Yarn Nerd, and got an emphatic yes. I’m hoping to have the order finished in a week or two, so you should be able to grab some soon.

    There are a few ramifications (hehe, I love that word) for the Yarn Nerd shop, mostly since I do need to sleep occasionally. At least for the next few months, all 900 MHz Merino will be dyed up for The Loopy Ewe, so if you’re looking for it at my shop and can’t find it, that’s the reason. I am planning to bring back some of my other yarns though, which means that I should have 1500 MHz Merino in stock by mid-September. I’ve had a lot of requests for this one, and it’s one of my personal favorites, so I’m excited to be bringing it back. It’ll be available in your favorite colorways, or as a custom creation with Create Your Skein. Plus, to satiate all you spinners (including me!), there will be a lot more roving being thrown about in my dye kitchen, so keep your eyes out for that.

  • **from the "spindles are fun! I don’t need a spinning wheel, really! so stop tempting me!" department:**

    I spun up the last of my roving stash (don’t worry, I promptly bought more…), and I’m definitely getting better at the spindle. I’m starting to actually draft while the spindle is spinning, rather than stopping, pinching, moving my hands up, etc. I think this lovely 2 ply speaks for itself :)

    granita swirl
    Hello Yarn Corriedale in the Granita Colorway. Isn’t it lovely?

    I also received my newest fiber purchase yesterday, a lovely BFL top from Flawful Fibers, in the Safari colorway. This picture, although terribly cute, doesn’t really show off how lovely and subtle this roving is. I can’t wait to spin it, but I’m also worried that I won’t be able to do it justice. But my desire to spin it outweighs my worry of flubbing it up, so I press onward. Yarn Ho!

    Dallas, did you braid your hair?
    "do these braids make me look fat?"
  • _**from the "I wish I could show you my sexy biker calves, but that might be a skosh inappropriate" department:_**

    It’s been a while since I’ve updated you on the biking, but I’m still going strong. I’m averaging around 4 days a week, and occasionally getting a weekend ride in as well. The benefits are many: hot legs, less gas tank fillups and a bunch more energy. And coupled with the fact that the Albuquerque bus is now free for UNM students, I can ride down to the park & ride a few miles from my house and take the bus to campus on school days. In fact, I’m loving the bike so much, I went and put a new one on layaway. There were some killer end of season deals, and the store happened to have one model of the bike I wanted in my size left, so I jumped on it. Hopefully I can pay it off by the end of September and start riding it! It’s a svelte 24ish pounds, compared to 40 something for my brother’s bike (that I’ve been riding), so I should be a speed demon on the new bike. Watch out ABQ, here comes Adam with his hot legs! (I wonder how many times I can say hot legs in a blog post…)

  • _**finally, from the "yes I do still knit, I’m just very lazy about taking pictures of the knitting these days" department:_**

    Here’s some socks that I finished while on vacation, and I figured it was about time to give them the spotlight. I really love these socks, since they have all my favorite colors (you should see my closet, it’s a red and black explosion). I went for the no frills method, with a short row heel and a simple pattern, but I think they’re awesome. They definitely make me feel like a rockstar. And they match my red shoes. Oh yeah.

    there's no place like home
    "there’s no place like home" eye candy
  • Pattern: Basketweave (6 stitch) from More Sensational Knitted Socks.
  • Yarn: Yarn Nerd 900 MHz Merino in Love and Peace or Else
  • Needles / Gauge: 8 stitches / in on US #1’s. Knitted Magic Loop style.
  • Construction: K1, P1 ribbing, then patterned over the leg, short row heel and round toe. Easy Peasy!
  • Completion Time: 3 weeks (July 22 - August 10)
"at least we're not wearing them this time..."

Ok, I think that’s enough bullet action for now. Have a good weekend everyone! I’ll be up to my eyeballs in yarn and dye, it should be fun!

Ah, Dry Heat, I Love You. 11 Aug 07


18 Comments

So I’ve been home since yesterday morning, just spending the time unpacking, dyeing up and shipping Yarn Nerd orders (thanks guys!) and hugging the dogs. Both Dallas and Emma are super happy that I’m home, and keep following me around like I might leave them again at any second. Needless to say, I’m glad to see them too, I missed waking up to Dallas’ big wet tongue every morning (well, maybe not the tongue so much), and coming home to Emma’s howling chorus every afternoon.

I don’t have too much to say now, except that I had a great time. Can you tell?

going down
sinking sand
something smells fishy.
puget sound

It was a really great trip, and most of the week after the wedding was spent just hanging out, walking around and drinking ridiculous amounts of coffee. My friend Holly kept telling me my heart would explode from all the caffeine ;) Oh and buying yarn too. I actually ended up shipping my yarn back to myself, since it would have been a stretch to cram into my suitcase, and I really didn’t want it smelling like dirty clothes when I got home. I just got the box a few hours ago and am super excited to dive into the stuff. Want to see?

the yarn haul
  • Austermann Step → I loved using this stuff for my Broad Spiral Ribbed Socks, and this color called my name
  • Trekking → Who can resist the Trekking? This stuff is destined to become some fancy evening socks, since I’m tired of wearing lame black socks to formal events.
  • Rowan Calmer → For a Shedir hat. My head will be happy this winter.
  • Hemp for Knitting → I’m doing a soap/yarn swap with Knitting Philistine, and figured a hemp washcloth would go with my soon to be here soaps perfectly.
  • Blue Sky Alpaca’s Dyed Cotton → This stuff is the softest cotton I’ve ever felt. I know exactly what I’m making, but it’s a secret! ;)

I also scored some Yarn Pirate Knitting Needles (thanks Georgia, I love them!), along with a mini-soap from Knitting Philistine/Good Soap Works of Athens that Georgia had leftover from last month’s Yarn Pirate Booty Club. (I packed that w/ the yarn, and now the yarn smells so nice, ah….)

I certainly got spoiled, and spoiled myself in Seattle, eh? It’s not too often that I get such a great vacation, so I just had to take advantage. ;)

I also got to spoil my friend Holly, with a moving away present that I’ve been sitting on for quite a while. You may have seen the finished pictures of this hat back in July on my Flickr page, and now I’m happy to show off pictures of it being worn by it’s happy recipient. (*Can you tell that she likes pirates?*) Not bad for a first stranded project ever huh? I think it’s pretty swank myself. Hope it keeps your head warm this winter Holly, it’s gonna be cold up there in Seattle!

rockstar pirate oh my!

I’m gonna go have an Arrested Development marathon now and see if I and finish up a pair of socks that’s been languishing on the needles for a bit. I finished one pair in Seattle and am hoping to get this one cranked out before casting on some new stuff. I’ll let you know how that goes…

Life Resumed 29 Jul 07


20 Comments

Well that concert turned out to be just the ticket. Karin and Linford sure know how to soothe a troubled soul with music, because their music definitely calmed me down. I might have even forgotten about the Emergency Vet bill for a few minutes! ;)

I picked up Emma last night after the concert, and she’s doing very well. Although probably a bit irritated, since I’ve probably taken about 100 pictures of her today. She did insist that I not show her one shaved leg in photos (from the IV), so I tried to only get her cute side. That turns out to be a pretty easy task.

yes, I'm glad to be home.

Needless to say, I’m super glad that she’s feeling better…a feeling I might have manifested in a few extra treats throughout the day. :) I’ve also hatched a plan involving multiple dog gates to keep her inside during the day; since I’m not willing to risk her getting another bug bite while I’m at work. There’s so many bugs in my yard during the summer, so I think it’d be better for her to stay inside.

Dallas won’t be too happy about this new plan, but I think he’ll learn to survive for a few hours. He can be very destructive when left to his own devices (he ate an arm of a leather couch in the first 5 days I adopted him!), and I can’t really risk him destroying stuff since I have roommates. It’s one thing for him to get into something of mine, but another thing to chew up someone else’s stuff.

Emma confirmed to me that she was back to normal this evening, when she climbed up on top of Dallas’ dog crate to sleep on top of my newly laundered sock pile. That’s her special talent, making a bed out of anything on hand, as long as it’s just a bit soft. It’s making me a bit teary just seeing the picture, so let’s just move on before I get all emotional.

comfy emma?

I did capitalize on the remainder of the weekend to get a bit of yarn dyed up. I cooked up some great new kettle dyed colorways, I think you’ll really like them. Here’s a sneak peek! There will be a shop update sometime this week, with all these new colorways, plus a bit more roving. I’ll be going on vacation to Seattle this Friday, so I thought I’d get the shop nice and stocked for ya. Oh, and I’ll be having a killer back to school sale, so stay tuned for the details.

lost in space the results speak for themselves

The last thing I have to share is this great shot of the Sandia Mountains that I got tonight. I was over visiting Scout, and I pulled over to grab this shot. Pretty sweet huh? Her view of the Sandias is so spectacular, you can’t help but be just a bit jealous!

silvery sandias