Tag Archive for ‘saturday sky’ at adam knits!

Tag Archive for 'saturday sky'

Fiber Heaven 09 Oct 07

So I went to the Taos Wool Festival this past weekend, and it was heaven. I’ve never been to a fiber festival before, and wow was I missing out! I drove up with a friend, and we had a great day involving fiber, food and a winery detour on the way home. There was so much delicious yarn and fiber, it was nearly impossible to make a choice on what to buy. In the end I did make a choice, and ended up picking the following:

A lovely Maple Spindle, which has already been put to good use.
A skein of brown Alpaca for only $10!
A skein of white Cormo wool for dyeing fun. (this is a new breed of sheep and I must say it’s fantastic. let’s just say that it might be a future addition to Yarn Nerd’s bases…)
A big skein of gray Border Leicester, also for dyeing fun.
A skein of 80% Llama/20% Soysilk, which is pretty much as soft as it comes, and it’s tweedy!

I think I did pretty well, although my checkbook might not agree. I did resist bringing this guy home though…

Somehow I don’t think that the city of Albuquerque, and Dallas and Emma would have agreed with that decision ;)

I also got to meet up with Amber, who was in town from Virginia visiting family, for a bit of lunch and fiber shopping. Her Grandma came with her and was quite the sport while we caressed yarn and talked knitting. It was good to meet you Amber, and if you ever decide to move back to New Mexico we can hang out! Hint hint. ;)

Amidst all the new stash, I’ve also been working on depleting some of the stuff I have already. It’s Fall TV Season, which means lots of evenings hanging out in the living room, working away like a sweatshop knitter. Gotta get those Christmas Knits done! Some of the big things I’m working on include my Seamless Hybrid (almost done with the body, and I’m working on a sleeve in the photo) and my Mom’s Garden Shawl (that’s right Mom, I’m knitting on the shawl!).

It’s also Socktoberfest, which means I have a few pairs in the works. I just finished this sock, which Emma is so delighted to model for you. It’s a Gentleman’s Fancy Sock (from Knitting Vintage Socks), knit in one of my favorite sock yarns, Austermann Step. And as much as I love it, I’m going to be strong and put it in the Christmas pile. I just have to remind myself that other people need warm handknit socks too. ;)

I’m also working on a Thelonious sock in the Pumpkin yarn from the last post, for a swap that I’m doing. It’s quite tasty. The socks are the perfect bus knitting project, since the sweater and the shawl are a bit much to carry in my bike bags.

Oh, and I finished a hat a bit ago, for a friend’s birthday, as shown by my lovely model. (Don’t you just love dogs in knits? I do!)

It’s the Foliage pattern from Knitty, knit up in 3/4 of a skein of Manos 100% Wool. It’s fast and it looks great, so it’s a really good gift knit. Or you can use it for making your dogs look dorky… ;)

Well it’s bedtime, so I better shove off, but I thought I’d pop in to say that I am alive, and that I’m keeping quite busy these days. It must be this cold snap that’s making me all knit crazy…nothing like the feel of wool through your hands when it dips to 50 degrees outside.

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Adam

in finished objects, gifts, hats, knitting, socks, socktoberfest, swag, the stash, weekend! and works in progress

Life Resumed 29 Jul 07

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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.

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.

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.

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!

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Adam

in a nerd's life, albuquerque, dallas, dyeing, emma, music, shop and yarn nerd

I Heart Yarn 19 May 07

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All this free time is making me go knitting crazy! I love it! I actually got to go the LYS yesterday, for the first time in who knows how long. It’s been a few months at least. It was a wonderful experience just to browse, fondling many of the yarns and thumbing through the books. Sometimes I think I’m around yarn so much with all the dyeing, that I forget how much I really like this stuff.

I did pick up a few things at Village Wools yesterday, including this Debbie Blish Cashmerino Chunky in a deep red color. It’s super nice stuff, and I’m planning to knit up an undisclosed baby item as a gift for some friends who are expecting. (Past due now actually!) You guys know who you are! ;) I think it will look pretty sweet, and I’m looking forward to working with this yarn, because it’s so unbelievably soft and buttery. Yes, buttery.

I also got a copy of the fabled book, Knitting Without Tears, by the knitting legend herself, Elizabeth Zimmerman. I’m planning to make a Seamless Hybrid Sweater (much like this one by the talented Julie Frick) over the summer, and I figured I should get the instructions first!

Oh, and somehow 6 skeins of Cascade 220 wandered into my shopping cart the other day and are now on their way to me. It all happened so fast, I don’t really remember it, but I’m pretty sure I gave into the bad angel on that one. (But at only $4.89 a skein, I just couldn’t say no.) I place all the blame on Jared, with all his gorgeous sweaters, how could I not be tempted to learn sweaters for myself?

Then to top all the yarny goodness off, my Tree Scum Handspun from Anne arrived today. It totally makes me weak in the knees. Just to look at it and know that it was spun from roving blows my mind. It’s a beautifully spun yarn, with very even singles and plying, and the colors are phenomenal. I’m super excited to cast on my for first handspun experience, I think it’ll be a good one.

my first handspun (well I didn't spin it...)!

Now the hardest thing I have to decide is which project to cast on for first! (Oh and don’t worry Mom, I’ve actually gotten 5 rounds done on the Garden Shawl in the last few days, so I’m not neglecting it entirely!)

And what would a Saturday afternoon be without a sky picture? Today’s picture was taken just moments before hail started pelting my street in a torrential downpour. This is only 5 minutes after there were no clouds in the sky. New Mexico weather is weird stuff…

I did manage to have a little panic attack when it started hailing, since hail and I don’t have a very good history. (Google the 2004 Socorro Hailstorm if you don’t already know what happened). But all is well, because I have a garage now, and was able to get my car into safety in mere moments. Then it promptly stopped hailing. Yeesh!

I’ll leave you with some shots of the kids dogs, since I think it’s been a while since I’ve had obligatory dog pictures on the blog. I got them some new collars today, aren’t they sweet? (You know you’re living in the fast lane when you get excited over new dog collars). I had to bribe Emma with her chew bone to get her to take a picture…she’s such a diva. And Dallas? Well give him a toy and he’s pretty much oblivious to everything around him.

the only time she lets me take her picture...

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go make a pile with all my new yarn and roll around in it.

PS: All the Ravelry invites are spoken for, sorry if you didn’t receive any love from the random number generator! Just be patient a little longer ;)

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Adam

in albuquerque, dallas, emma, knitting, patterns, schnauzers, sweaters, the lys, the stash and works in progress

In Which I Become An ADD Knitter 21 Apr 07

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You know, I used to be really good about only having one project on the needles. But lately that seems to have gone completely out the window. I actually have 2 projects that have been sitting for over a month, 2 that have been on my needles for at least a week or two, and I just cast on for another pair of socks today! What’s happening to me?! What’s next, buying yarn with no project in mind? Oh wait, I’ve already broken that rule a few times.

I guess I’ll just chalk it up to anticipation for school to end, and my short attention span these days. I’m juggling so many balls it seems that I can’t spend a prolonged amount of time with anything, so I guess that has migrated to my knitting habits too. Although, one positive note is that it gives me lots of knitting content to show off now!

So what do I have on the needles anyway? Let’s see…

Garden Shawl (for my Mom) → I really need to pick this up again (sorry Mom!), but it definitely won’t happen until the semester is over. When it takes 30+ minutes to do a round, it’s difficult to find time to get much done on it.
Emma’s Sweater → I’m not entirely sure this one is even going to fit, and seeing as it’s quite warm these days, I think this might be destined for the frog pond until Fall.
Topi (for my brother Clay) → This one is a fairly quick knit, but it seems to have not gone right a few times. I’m knitting it out of a skein of Yarn Nerd 2400 MHz that I saved for my brother a while ago, and I’ve been trying to figure out the best way to make it sturdy and still have enough yarn. After a few false starts, I ended up double stranding the top, and single stranding the rest. I was almost all the way done when I realized that I’d made the bill way too big, it looked like a duck bill! (Why is it that it’s never possible to fess up to these things until it’s too late?) So now I’m almost done, I just have to wrap the bill, stick in the insert and sew it shut.

Medallion Mitts → I needed to use up the rest of the yarn from my Dad’s Jaywalkers, so I cast on for these fingerless mitts, from my Knitting with Balls book a few weeks ago. I’m close to finishing the first one, but still seem unable to do so…they would be nice though, since my new cubicle is a bit on the chilly side.

Broad Spiral Rib Socks → This is a new knit (cast on today!), and I’m already in love. I happened to be browsing a bookstore yesterday when I noticed that they had a copy of More Sensational Knitted Socks. Needless to say I bought that sucker, and spent the evening browsing through it, and it’s totally awesome. There’s both toe-up and top-down instructions for all the socks, how cool is that? And lots more discussion on different heel and toe techniques, as well as lots of different cast ons and bind offs that can change your sock’s look. Charlene Schurch? I love you!

could these socks BE anymore sensational?

Anyway, I was smitten with the Broad Spiral Rib socks, so I cast on first this morning. I don’t have a picture of the pattern, so you’ll just have to wait until I get there ;) The yarn is some Austermann Step that I got in Chicago a while ago, in turquoise, gray and black. Kind of last month’s Project Spectrum colors, but let’s be honest…I’m much more of a greys/blacks guy than a pink/yellow/green guy. (Although, if you want some PS goodies, check out the Yarn Nerd update on Monday!) At this point I’m definitely smitten with the sock, but looking at the above list we’ll see how long that lasts.

Do you think a doctor will prescribe ritalin for knitting ADD? Yeah, I figured not ;)

So there’s your knitting update, now onto Saturday Sky! Today’s lovely sky photo features some nice sky, clouds and…a green toilet? Yup, coming to you from the metropolis of Socorro, NM, here’s the crazy antics that those nerdy engineers are up to down at New Mexico Tech.

One of my former roommates took this and sent it to me, and I just about died laughing. Some students managed to get a green toilet up on top of the library clock tower, which is actually pretty darn high. So high in fact, the firetruck ladder won’t even get close to it, so the poor school has no idea how to get it down! Ha! How good is that? We engineers can be pretty clever!

So why is the toilet green? You really don’t want to know. Green is a very mythical color down at NMT, involving tales of green sheep and drunk miners. I remember many a St. Patrick’s day that involved naked green people streaking across campus!

The things you do when you attend a school with a 7:1 guy to girl ratio I guess.

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Adam

in gifts, knitting, nerdy, nmt, school, shawls, socks, swag, the stash and works in progress

Blue Skies are Coming 03 Mar 07

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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!

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Adam

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