How do you spell relief?

For me, it's MIDTERMS ARE OVER. As an added bonus, I'm finished with my accounting class as well. It was a 7-week course, so it was pretty intense but the payoff is that it's over sooner!

Every time I felt stress-overload, I stopped what I was doing and picked up my knitting. It really sucks because I'm working on some cool stuff but I can't post it for a couple of reasons.

I'm just so excited to have free time again, and next week we're going to Disneyland! I am so stoked to see how much it has changed in recent years. I just hope it isn't too crowded, though we're going before the whole 50th birthday celebration.

When we get back, I might start taking golf lessons at the city course. I have never played real golf before, and I suspect I won't do well at all, but I'm willing to give it a try. I really want to learn because it would give us a reason to visit places. I know that sounds strange, but we tend to like staying at snooty places and usually the only thing to do there is golf and I don't play.

That's about it for this week. On Saturday, we're heading up to Berkeley for our friend's 30th birthday. We're supposed to bring our giant Weber grill, but I'm not even sure if it will fit into our tiny little car. Should be interesting, especially if it doesn't fit, since it's a BBQ party...

Yarn of the Month offerings: Victor by Bollicine/Cascade (wool/acrylic); Angora by Elsebeth Lavold (angora/wool/polyamide); Deco Ribbon by Crystal Palace (acrylic/nylon); Pulcino by Lana Grossa (merino/acrylic/mohair)
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Buh-cock!

We have a growing collection of funky chicken tchotchkes, and this is the latest addition. My sister and brother-in-law got this plate set for us for our anniversary. And yes, my husband likes chickens as much as I do, so the present really was for the both of us.


Our latest chicken plates
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Trumped again!

My older sister has a tendency to always out-do me when it comes to gift-giving. Somehow, she always finds the most perfect thing for someone and/or she'll do it better.

Take this cake for instance. This work of art is what she brought over to my parent's house for my Mom's birthday. Boy, was I glad I didn't show up with my sad-looking (comparatively) loaf of lemon pound cake.


Ma's super fancy shmancy birthday cake
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Glazed lemon pound cake, from the latest Martha Stewart Living magazine
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I've finally gotten over my fear of the sewing machine. I hemmed a pair of corduroy pants and it gave me confidence to try out other things. I bought this purse kit at the fabric store and was sort of disappointed with how little sewing there was to do. But, the finished product is pretty cute. I will probably add some beads or something to give it pizzazz.


Satin evening bag kit from Jo-Ann fabrics
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In addition to the awesome lemond pound cake recipe in the latest MS Living magazine, there is an article on sewing accents on things such as linens and even stationery. I thought stitched stationery was a cool idea and didn't require much commitment - you could mess up and not feel too bad about throwing the paper in the recycling bin.

Here is a little envelope/pouch I stitched up for a yarn label. I like to include the labels with my handknit gifts so the recipient knows what their item is made of, and how to take care of it.


Stitched yarn label pouch
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Lastly, here's a sachet I whipped up for my Mom's birthday - but I forgot to give it to her!


Lavender filled sachet, knit in KnitPicks Merino Style yarn in color Honey, pattern from Knitter's Bible
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Ahhh, a bit of zen

Yesterday it seems I was juggling a million things at the same time, when I heard a 'thunk' at my doorstep - the familiar sound of the mailman unloading a package. It was what I was hoping for, the second gift from my Secret Pal!

And it couldn't have been more appropriate. Even before opening up the box, I could smell a wonderful aroma that instantly calmed my nerves. I soon discovered it was a bar of rosemary mint soap. Inside were all these other treasures:


Super stuff from my Secret Pal
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My anxiety quickly faded as I realized there was everything I needed for a "zen moment" - the candle, tea, yarn, sweets, and a cozy new frilly scarf (presumably knit by my SP). The soap, of course, would come into play later. Ahhh... THANK YOU, SP for saving the day!

Happy Easter!

Forgot to mention that in my previous post of two seconds ago... Thanks SP for the e-card. :)

We were too exhausted yesterday after our trip to Harley Farms, so we didn't color our eggs. But the Easter bunny left me a super-rad basket from Sanrio filled with Cinnamoroll goodies - stationery, candy, pencils, erasers, and of course... Cinnamoroll himself! We think he looks more like a girl dog, so we're changing his gender. S/he's a little camera shy so no pic, but I'm sure I'll sneak one when s/he takes a nap.

You can never have too many patterns

During a very successful shopping trip, we went to the bookstore and I managed to pick up the Spring/Summer 2005 issue of Vogue Knitting. I've never purchased this magazine before, though I peruse them on the newsstands when they come out. My general rule is, I have to like at least 4 patterns in any given publication to make it worth buying. Here are the top contenders - there are a few more that I liked but I got tired of scanning (ours is really slow):


Short Sleeve Top in Karabella Empire Silk
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Lace-Up Camisole in Anny Blatt Kanpur
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Wrapped Lace Cardigan in Berroco Glace
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Leaf pattern scarf in Mohair Royal and Wool Gatto
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"This is weird..."

I keep saying that as I knit with some GGH Cascade I got from eBay a while ago. I've had my eye on this pattern for a while, and when I saw the yarn at a great price I was stoked to be the winning bidder:


Red Jacket with Peplum, design number 24 from Rebecca 22
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I actually played with it when I first got the yarn, but I really wasn't in the mood for man-made fibers. At the time, I figured I'd save it for later, when I wasn't so addicted to wool and alpaca. I thought the time had finally come, but as I'm going along I have to admit that I'm not really enjoying this.


The beginning of Red Jacket with Peplum, design number 24 from Rebecca 22
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I don't know if it's just my mood or if this yarn is just plain too weird for me. As with all ribbon-type yarns, it gets twisted (especially when working in K2,P2 rib) and you have to twirl it about every couple rows or it looks funny. Annoying. And the texture of the fabric has this strange feeling, resulting from the ladder fibers. It just screams "Snag me!". Not good. It's really too bad, because the yarn itself (unknitted) looks really cool:


Close up of GGH Cascade yarn - you can't tell from the pic, but it's acutally a triangle ladder construction. Very unusual, to say the least.
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Buckle bag by Rowan, yarn is Gedifra's Fifty Fifty in a light grey color (I know it looks off-white)
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I forgot to mention Rowan!

It totally slipped my mind, but I finally received my copy of Rowan magazine #37. It was such a tease going into a LYS and seeing it there. I only joined Rowan Int'l back in December, so I hadn't received any magazines yet. I started worrying that they had forgotten about me, until I read in the forums that other members were eagerly awaiting their copies as well. Whew!

After all that anticipation, it finally arrived - and I forgot to mention it. I spent the first evening cuddling it, and looking at the pictures over and over. Sad thing is, I probably won't knit anything from it. My favorite designs are either not flattering to the flabby, or knit in a gauge reserved for the patient. Check it out:


Hike in Calmer. Love it, but someone with a short attention span like me can't handle that much stockinette stitch at 21 sts/4"
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Two versions of Trek in Handknit DK cotton. This one's my favorite design, but again - the gauge!! I'm not brilliant enough to re-write the pattern for a larger gauge. Huh? What was I talking about?
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Hobo in Cotton Glace. Another buckle-y design.
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Elspeth in Calmer. Ok, I *might* do this one because I LOVE working with Calmer, and at least there is some patterning to keep me interested.
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Happy St. Patrick's Day

Hallmark's servers must have been flooded with people picking up their e-cards again today because it took several tries before finally viewing mine from my SP. Hmm, this happened on Valentine's Day and they sent me an email saying how sorry they were for the "unexpected traffic" that delayed the receipt of my e-card and that it wouldn't happen again. I guess they didn't truly realize how popular their service is - or perhaps it's all of us Secret Pal participants hogging up bandwidth! Thanks, SP for continuing to think of me. :)

It cheered me up before my midterm exam. I like that my class is online because I can take my exam and know right away what my score is. By the way, I only missed one question, mom.

As promised, here is the photo of the completed sweater. You can view the original version of the pattern in my previous blog entry.


Rebecca #29 - Pattern #31 in Lang Eve yarn
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It's rough being a dog

While roasting this...


Gayo Mt. Sumatra - Sulawesi blend (my fav)
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... the dog was busy doing this:


Catching some California rays
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... then this:


Look at me! I'm a cow!
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... then a little patrolling:


"Why are humans so fascinated by me?"
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Last night I started putting together all the pieces of the blue mouline sweater. It actually came out cuter than it looked separately. Weird. I'll post a pic once it's all finished.

I've been studying really hard for yet another exam, but I did manage to get some errands done yesterday, including sending out the second gift pack to my Secret Pal. This one was a really good one, if I do say so myself. Quite generous indeed.

And deciding where to go for our summer vacation(s) continues to be the hot topic in our house. We both change our minds hourly, so it has been nerve-racking. Why can't it just be free of charge to stay at the Four Seasons Hualalai?

They grow up so fast... check out how much my tomatoes have grown in just one week! They were barely above the bottom ring last Monday!
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Yarn of the day: Rowan Kid Classic in shade 840 Crystal. Knitting Arts had a 20% off sale yesterday... who can resist that?!
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Roast of the day: Ethiopia Harar Horse, sorta uneven (blonde beans in the center)
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Oh, good lord...

I was wondering how long it would take for someone to come up with the "Martha" poncho:


The knock-off poncho
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Didn't they get the memo that ponchos are out?!! At least Martha was incarcerated, what's Herrschners' excuse?

Now you're just showing off

As an early anniversary gift, we got a new digital camera. It's the Canon PowerShot A95. I still haven't learned how to use the darn thing properly, but I've been having fun testing it out!

And look what showed up in the mail today - the yarns from my Yarn of the Month club:


March Yarns of the Month: Top row, 2nd Time Cotton from K1C2 and Nature Wool Chunky from Araucania; Bottom row, Cotton Stria from Manos del Uruguay and Sari Silk from Yarnexpress
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Since it finally stopped raining, there is better natural light indoors for taking pictures of my progress on the blue mouline sweater. I know they are still pretty crappy, but it's our lame, dark house (not the new camera).


Update on the "Sweater with Round Yoke", halfway there!
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Close up of the vertical eyelet detailing
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Over the weekend, I roasted the Brazilian peaberry coffee. I was really surprised how much I like this stuff, especially since I usually prefer blends. It is really complex for a single origin coffee. Perhaps due to the uneven roast? Some of the beans were a little charred, while others looked like they barely left first crack. I pulled out the obvious "black sheep" of the roast, still leaving a wide range of roast in there:


Brazil Peaberry - Brauna Estate. Roasted using the i-Roast at Tom's suggested profile stopped 7:28 short
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And it was such a lovely day that I planted some tomato seedlings, my first attempt at anything beyond forcing bulbs. These are the yummy Sweet 100 cherry tomatoes that are so great on salads. I really hope they turn out like the picture, but I'm worried - I think they should have been in separate containers, but Mike insisted they would be fine together. We shall see...


Dear tomato seedlings, Please grow up big and strong so that I can eat your fruit. Love, Mom
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Last but not least, I had to show off our crazy lemon tree that is promising a future full of lemonade, lemon bars, and lemon cake. Folks, you're only seeing one side of the tree. I know this is perfectly normal for California, but let's consider that during the 3 years we lived in Texas, we yielded *one* friggin' lemon from our Meyer lemon tree, so I'm full of cheer over all this free fruit!


Abnormally large lemons, which we jokingly call "Fairchild" lemons (referring to the former semiconductor company that leaked toxic material into the local ground)
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My brain hurts!

Now I recall why I felt such relief when I graduated from college... it was HARD! And I don't know what made me think that I could absorb information at the same rate I did 10 years ago. Anyhow, I blame my aging (and throbbing) brain for the lack of posts.

I've been so busy studying for my Accounting class, which has confused me so much I haven't even *started* studying for my Business class! Yikes! I'm sensing trouble ahead...

I haven't neglected my knitting, though. Since my brain doesn't work after dinner time, I still manage to stitch in the evenings while watching TV. I'm currently working on two projects.

One is a vest that I've had my eye on for a while. It's a very basic vest pattern from Knitting Pure and Simple, which I purchased from Jimmy Beans Wool. This was my first order from them, even though I have had their site bookmarked for a while. I liked their site because I think their dogs are cute.

I decided to order from them because they had yarn on sale that was appropriate for this pattern, Rowan rowanspun aran. I chose color Husk because I figured a beige vest would go with everything. It does, but now I'm thinking it looks sorta man-ish. Whatev, I got Rowan yarn for 30 bucks (3 skeins), so that to me is a good deal.

The yarn itself is a bit scratchy, more than I thought it would be, and there are quite a few "organic" bits that I've had to pull out. You know, burrs and pieces of hay or whatever. There was a sharpie that really stuck my finger good. Oww! I would describe this yarn as "rustic", similar to Jamieson's if you've ever knit with that. Also super lanolin-y (my fingers had that filmy feel). Here's what it looks like so far:


Rowan rowanspun aran in Husk, 16 st = 4" on US 9 needles, ribbing done on US 7 needles
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I've also been working on a sweater from the new Rebecca. No, not the super cute Wrap Sweater with Eyelets (though I will get to that at some point). It's the Sweater with Round Yoke #31.


Sweater with Round Yoke from Rebecca 29, original yarn Illusion @ 15 st x 20 rows
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I'm using the Lang Eve I got on ebay a while back. I'm not sure I like the mouline look of the fabric, but I'm having so much fun knitting with this yarn that I'm willing to continue and decide later if I like it. Eve is a really stretchy yarn that has been forgiving of my recent sloppy knitting. Hey, I'm tired at the end of the day!


Too bad you can't see the eyelets - it's really a cute pattern
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Caution: Long Post Ahead!

I'm finally back on the normal routine, so this is a good time to share pics of all the cool stuff that's happened over the last week!

First of all, Thursday was my birthday and I was really excited because Mikey and I were going to spend two nights up in the Napa/Sonoma wine country. I'll get to that later, but I gotta share the fun stuff I got to open that morning:


Birthday presies from my boys: two cool CDs from 40 Pound (inside joke), and a cup for tea with two travel size candles
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I wanted to "dress up" my usually casual wear, so I spent the day prior knitting up a flower pin to wear. I used the pattern for the flowers found on this sweater in Knitty, and the leaf is from a book I have in my collection. I put them together with a pin backing I got from Michael's and... voila!


Flower pin I made using Brown Sheep Prairie Silk, leaf using Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride
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So, with CDs in the changer and the flower pin safely attached to my top, we headed up north and stopped at two yarn stores in the city. First, we went to ImagiKnit, where I picked up two balls of yarn, some needles I needed for the necktie I want to knit for Bubs, and the Summer 2004 issue of Interweave Knits.


Gedifra Fashion Trend Stripe wool/acrylic blend
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We finally made it through the rain to Sonoma, our first stop on this trip. We stayed at this very cool place called the Gaige House Inn. I can't say enough about this place - everything was top-notch. To call the morning meal a "breakfast" just doesn't do it justice. It was truly a dining experience. I could go on, but I'm starting to sound like a broken record because I've been telling EVERYONE who'll listen, how great this place is!

We had an hour to kill before picking up the dog from the kennel in Napa, so we did some light shopping at the gift store at COPIA. We bought quite a few food-related postcards which I'll frame and put up in our kitchen, my favorite being this one:


My new friend for the kitchen
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When we got home there was a large package waiting on our doorstep. It was our belated (to put it mildly) Christmas present from my sister-in-law, who lives in Missoula, Montana. Among the many treasures inside, this was the most... unusual:


Moose Drool ale from Big Sky Brewing in Montana
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We cracked one open the other night and enjoyed it with a roast chicken. Very yummy stuff, despite its gross-sounding name!

And finally, for anyone who's still reading this entry, here's the scarf I worked on during the trip. It's a pattern from my Knitting for Dummies book, eyelet lace version. As you can see, I'm still working on the neck ribbing part, which will later be grafted together. I think it looks cool in a hippy-retro sort of way.


My almost-finished scarf in Brooks Farm's Four Play yarn
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My first mitten

It's been raining here for several days, so as I sat wondering what to do with the yarn I received from my SP, I thought it was time to finally try a mitten or a glove. I referred to the article in Interweave Knits Winter 2003 issue for help, and came up with a custom-fit fingerless mitten (we don't want to rush into things by doing fingers, now do we?):


Fingerless mitten with fur cuff in Bernat Cameo and Crystal Palace Whisper
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I added the fur cuff because it seemed plain, and because I had two balls of Whisper sitting in my stash. It's actually a cream color, not pure white as it might seem in the photo. This gives it a softer look overall.

I used the suggested size US 7 needles for the Cameo, and crochet hook size F for the Whisper (two strands held together for a thicker fluff). I originally didn't think I could do this because I don't have dpns in size 7, BUT I do have in size 7: 16" circs, Denise needles, and straights. What I did was divide the stitches into groups using only the circs and Denise needles (just the tips, no cord attached. For every group of stitches I was about to knit, I slippped the stitches over to the straight needle and used whatever needle I just slipped them from to knit the stitches.

Now that I have one mitten down, I'm debating whether to jump right into the next one. We're heading for Napa/Sonoma tomorrow and I prefer to travel with projects that don't involve several needles or complicated instructions. We'll be stopping in the city (that's San Francisco for all of you not from Northern California), so I might find a kit or something there. I've never been to any of the yarn stores in SF, so I'm curious to see if the prices will be inflated. But it's my birthday, so if ever there was a day to splurge, this would be it!