Tag Archive for ‘girls’ at adam knits!

Tag Archive for 'girls'

Focus on the Positive 14 Feb 08

Ah, Valentine’s Day. The holiday cooked up by restaurants to ensure that they have a packed house full of couples, effectively banishing those pesky single people who linger around with their books and knitting.

This year, I’ve decided to try and focus on the positive things. For example, I’m saving so much money right now, since I’m not at a fancy restaurant buying a $60 / plate dinner! See, look how positive I am? So here’s some more things I love.

1. I love felted slippers.

I finished these last week, and I am absolutely in love. The pattern is so great, and the slippers come out so well defined after felting. I’ve made felted socks before, but they just never fit my feet right. These slippers are a different approach, that makes such a nice shape, it really feels like you’re wearing some store bought slippers. And using your own hand-dyed yarn is even better!

Pattern: Felted Clogs by Fiber Trends
Yarn: 1 skein of Yarn Nerd 1700 MHz BFL in an over-dyed shade, and 1.25 skeins of Cascade 220 in Jet.
Needles: US #13 (16″ and 24″ circulars)
Felting: Tossed in the washing machine for about 30 minutes with some towels and hot water.

Then to give them some extra traction, I used zigzag stitch’s awesome tutorial for suede bottoms. This technique is inexpensive and easy, and it really helps on my tile floors. When you’re a klutz like me, you need all the traction you can get!

I think Dallas loves them too :)

2. I love Beer.

I just couldn’t resist (sorry Mom!), because a good beer is just so tasty. Especially when paired with the takeout you picked up, since sitting in a restaurant on Valentine’s Day is kinda crummy. It’s much better to eat delicious food at home, paired with a tasty brew and some mediocre TV. (30 Rock, I miss you! Come back soon ok?)

3. I love Brussels Sprouts.

Yeah, you read right, Brussels Sprouts. I’ve gone 23 years without ever trying one, and I decided it was high time that changed. So armed with a bag of the suckers, and this fantastic recipe, I remedied this grave injustice. And man oh man, what have I been missing all these years? Those little guys are phenomenal! So crispy and tender, and perfect when nice and charred on the bottom, with a generous dash of salt and pepper.

Just pretend that stove isn’t dirty ok? I’ll clean it first thing tomorrow, I promise.

So there you have it. This year, my Valentine’s are Slippers, Beer and Brussels Sprouts. Pretty exciting eh? Maybe next year I’ll have a lady to add to the list…although if my most recent blind date is an indication…

Oh wait, I’m supposed to be positive! Drat! ;)

Published

Adam

in a nerd's life, felting, finished objects, knitting, nerdy and yarn nerd

Blue Skies are Coming 03 Mar 07

11 Comments

Ah, March in New Mexico. Windy as heck, and still a bit cold, but I can live with that because this lovely blue sky is around. And you know what blue sky means? Car wash season! My poor car was dirty as heck, and just begging to be washed. I don’t remember if you’ve ever seen my car (I’ve certainly talked about it a lot since it seems to be an accident magnet), so here it is. It’s not quite your average Ford Taurus, but then again, I’m not exactly your average guy. It’s got quite a fun look I think, especially when it’s all clean and shiny. The gas mileage isn’t the best, but it’s fun and very utilitarian, so I like it. Plus, when you’re driving around in the summer with the windows and the sunroof open, it makes all the chicks go wild. (Alright, so maybe I put Dallas and Emma in the car too…they always illicit oohs and ahhs from the ladies…)

Speaking of ladies, I made one lady very happy last night, when I unveiled her birthday present a few days early. That’s right, that blurry picture of purple-ish knitting from a few days ago is actually a shawl for my Mom. It’s the Manta Ray shawl from Yarnplay, and I’m knitting it with my 900 MHz Merino in the Raspberry Sherbet colorway. I’m really enjoying this knit, and the yarn is quite nice too. It’s the first time I’ve knitted with my new base yarn, and I must say, it definitely gets my seal of approval. The shawl pattern is very simple, it’s just garter stitch and some yarn overs, but it looks very elegant.

I was going to wait and surprise my Mom, but I went over there for dinner last night and really wanted to knit on it, and also it kills me to not be able to show what I’m knitting on the blog. So I decided that she could have the surprise a bit early, and she was very thrilled. My original plan was to have the Garden Shawl done around this time, but I realized that I just can’t push it, and it’s going to take a bit more time to wrap that one up. So I cast on for this Manta Ray in the mean time, figuring that if I can’t finish the Garden Shawl so soon, I would at least like to give my Mom something handmade sometime soon. It’s been a quick knit too, I cast on maybe 8 or 9 days ago, and it’s nearly done. Most of that is because I’m using fingering weight yarn on US 11’s, which not only makes it light and airy, but very fast to knit.

Now I have to go hit the books (midterms start next week!), despite how strongly I just want to pick up the Manta Ray and knit all afternoon. Such is life when you’re a grad student I suppose. Maybe someday I’ll actually have weekends where I don’t have to do some form of homework…

Have a great weekend!

Published

Adam

in family, gifts, knitting, school and works in progress

Women And Quantum Singularities 18 Oct 06

12 Comments

<begin mid-school "girls are dumb" rant>

So why is it that no matter how hard you try, you can’t get the cutest girl (whom you’ve conveniently sat next to) on the UNM Shuttle to pay attention to you? And then a few hours later, the girl in the KFC drive through (the one who has more mascara than Tammy Faye) flirts with you and gives you a free apple pie? I really wish I could explain these quandaries…but if I could, then men would understand women and I’m pretty sure that a quantum singularity) would appear and swallow the earth.

Suffice to say, the one tactic I most frequently employ to attract the attention of the female species didn’t work. That’s right, busting out the knitting failed me. All I got was a cursory glance at my hands, and then she continued to stare out the window. Did I mention that she was super hot? She was even my height (read: “very short”), and had an advanced biology textbook and a cool scarf. Does she not realize that we’re perfect for each other? How could the knitting fail? I mean, guys who knit are super hot aren’t they? Where was Emma when I needed her? Ugh. Girls are so confusing.

<end mid-school "girls are dumb" rant>

But you know what makes me feel better (and super hot)? My new shoes! That’s right, I went down to the friendly neighborhood department store and bought some cool shoes last night. They’re these Skechers clog type things, and they show off my socks superbly. Pictures at some point, when I actually remember to buy some AA batteries for the camera. And the funniest part? When the suit sales guy wandered over to complain to the shoes guys about not having any customers, and he looks at my denim stripe socks and says, “Young Man, what the hell are those on your feet?”

EDIT (10/19):

Here’s my swank new shoes, which I got for only $40. Pretty good eh?
And thanks for all the nice comments regarding the “girls are dumb” rant, you’ve all made my day just that much better, so thanks :)

Published

Adam

in a nerd's life, emma, knitting, nerdy and unm

Love at First Knit 06 Jul 06

3 Comments

Ok, I have a new online crush. It happened today, while I was checking out the new summer issue of Knitty. I was just minding my business, reading all the fun patterns, and I scrolled to the bottom of the Carpathia Gloves Pattern and read the author’s bio. And I became smitten head over heels.

An Electrical Engineer who knits??? And has red hair??? (For those of you who don’t know, I’ve had red hair envy all my life. For a 5-6 year period I actually dyed my hair red with henna, and no one was ever the wiser that it wasn’t natural.) Anyway, I’m definitely in love. And a quick Google search revealed that she even has a pattern in MagKnits too! Quite a talented knitter it appears. And did I mention she’s an Electrical Engineer?

So Sharon, if you’re reading this, don’t be alarmed, but I’ve definitely got a crush on you. It’s just that I hardly ever meet other girls who are Electrical Engineers, let alone ones who knit too. The only question I have is…how do you feel about dogs?

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Adam

in a nerd's life