Yarny Old Kim

Tag

Becky tagged me with this meme.  Here's the poop:

"The rules of the game get posted at the beginning. Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer."

1) What was I doing 10 years ago?
I wasn't knitting because I didn't know how.  That's very sad.  I was also a few weeks away from ending a miserable shitty marriage.  After making the decision to leave, my life completely changed for the better almost immediately. 

2) What are 5 things on my to-do list for today (not in any particular order):
go to Seaport Yarn with the 2 newbie knitters at my office who both have knitting fever(done);  send out crap ass report at work (done); send out crap ass letter at work (not done); drop off car at dealership for free oil change (not done); sit on sofa with cup of hot tea and knit (not done)

3) Snacks I enjoy:  Skittles, cupcakes, hot salsa dip (melted velveeta & salsa) & chips, guacamole, cheese & triscuit crackers.

4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire: buy a little cottage in Ocean Grove NJ and a house in the Adirondacks; open a junk/yarn shop.  Give away money anonymously.

5) Places I have lived:  Anchorage, AK; Harrington Park, NJ, 3 NYC Boroughs (Manhattan, Brooklyn & Queens) and Weehawken, NJ.

6) 5 peeps I wanna know more about- Michelle; Charissa; Tina; Katie; Ina;

I succumbed to the lure of Noro and picked up 6 skeins of Taiyo (wool, silk, cotton, nylon blend).  Soft and supple.  I actually bought this yarn on the way to MDSW.  Like I really needed to stop at a yarn shop on my way to a fiber festival.  The pattern is from the new Noro book/pamphlet called Joy. Lots of nice summer patterns in there.  I'm making Alana in Taiyo color #4.  The color reminds me of a sushi roll with pickled ginger & wasabi on the side.  Here's my progress so far.

Very easy pattern.  The back is a big rectangle.  The front is another big rectangle with a V for the neck line.  Sew together.  It's the microwave popcorn of knitting patterns. 

Thanks to all the great commenter suggestions about the Numma Numma Pesto sock yarn, I decided on a simple sock that showed off the pretty yarn colors but also had some texture to it. 

Apologies for the blurry craptacular photo.  It's the Gentlemen's Half Hose (Yvonne is laughing because I used the word "hose.") in Ringwood Pattern from Knitting Vintage Socks.  The pattern calls for a cast of 74 or something way to big for me, so I cast on 60.  I'm liking  this a lot.  The Ringwood pattern is so simple: Round 1: k1p1; knit the next 2 rounds.  Repeat.  Hello!

Even though I bought shocking amounts of yarn at MDSW, I ended up buying some more today.  I couldn't resist: 

On the top is a yarn I have been stalking online for some time but have never seen in person:  Colinette Jitterbug in Vincent's Apron.  The bluey-green yarn on the bottom is from Pine Woods Yarn in Maine. which, according to the label, uses a "unique wood-fired stovetop dying process."  There is no name for this colorway but the label says "Like the snowflakes outside of our north woods home in winter, no two skeins are exactly alike."  So hallmark-y.  I'm open to taking name suggestions for the Pine Woods sock yarn. 

All I can say is thank god it's Friday.  Work whooped my ass this week. 

I is for

Icky Ick Ick Ick.  Icky.

Ick!  It's looking at me with its creepy Star Wars face!  This is a silkworm.  At MDSW, there was a vendor (I forget who) with a basket of silkworms doing their thing.  I'd never seen a silkworm before.  Incredible but icky.

The vendor had a pot of water on a hot plate filled with silk pods. The silk pods were simmering and she was pulling a thread of silk out of the pot and winding it on a niddy noddy.

Baboon-Assed Chickens and New Socks

Work is quiet today so I have a chance to post!  Woo hoo! 

On Saturday, my friend Megan hooked me up with some local honey from Gooserock Farm.  It's an amazing place and truly off-the-beaten path.  The honey shop is in this compound of log cottages.   I felt like I wasn't in NJ anymore but I was just a few miles from my house.  Then it was time to buy eggs fresh from the chicken.  Up the road a piece from Gooserock was the Chicken Dude. 

Hi Chickens!

Another, out-of-NJ experience.  The Chicken Dude has a small dorm-room style refrigerator on his porch with a bucket for money on top.  Help yourself to the eggs and leave the money in the bucket.   The chickens were unlike any chickens I've seen before.  Long necked and baboon-assed.  Delicious fresh yummy eggs, BTW.  I ate some yesterday.  I will be visiting the Chicken Dude again. 

The elusive Baboon-Assed Chicken.

On Friday evening, I kitchenered the toe on Confetti sock #2.  It's FO time! 

Specs:  My standard plain sock recipe.  US#1 DPNs.  Farmhouse Yarn, Fanny's Fingering Weight in Confetti.

Started: April 16. Finished: May 9.

This yarn was knit up like a dream and is very soft & comfy on the foot. 

If work doesn't interfere, later in the week, I'll post photos of the 2 socks on the needles.  The sock mojo is back. Yeehaw!  Just have to make sure I don't over do it and kill the fetal mojo before the official start of Summer of Socks 2008.

Way Late Post: MDSW

I can't believe it's been a week since Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival and no post!   Work has been so crazy and busy that there's barely time for blog reading and no time for posting.  When I get home, I'm too exhausted to post or even turn on the computer so I just plop down on the sofa and watch TV and knit (once I finish doing stuff around the house of course).  Given the work situation, the posting is likely to be sporadic.  My commenting may be not so regular either.  I apologize.
The highlight of the trip was seeing Yvonne again and meeting Becky.  We had so much fun and laughed so much.  Buying stuff was fun too.  I went down with a short list, which included one blob of roving and yarn for 1 sweater and 1 shawl.  Here's what I ended up with. 

A happy & tired Becky is next to the huge haul for scale.  I can not even begin to list what is in that pile.   It's a ton.

Becky, Yvonne & Alpaca Man

Sheep with giant ballz

Me & Jessica both won woolwash at the Ravelry party.

Another highlight of the weekend was meeting Melissa and Charissa (who bought my Ashford Kiwi!) and hanging with them at the festival and the Ravelry party.

Hanging with my peeps.

Happy Mother's Day!

H is for

Heart

I ate and photographed this candy heart back in February.  It was one among a handful of candy hearts that I scooped out of bowl at my office.  Odd for a Valentine's message, but good for a blogger doing an ABC-Along and looking for "H" stuff.

H is also for Helper.  Stella isn't just some cute but lazy dog.  She's my spinning helper and a natural at pre-drafting fiber.   

Fibery Fido

With Stella's help, I was able to finish spinning the roving that Lizzy gave me a YEAR AGO at MDSW when she taught me how to spin.  I am not a speedy spinner.  Photos when I've plied it.

I spent most of the weekend knitting on Mr. Greenjeans.  The sleeves are on waste yarn and I am nearly done with the plain stockinette part of the body.  Either tonight or tomorrow, I'll try it on for size (hooray for top down raglans) and then it's time to start on the cables for the lower part of the body. 

As a warm up for MDSW, here is last week's stash enhancement.  Two of the skeins are from Loopy Ewe and one skein is not. 

From left to right:  Done Roving sock yarn in Dancing Leprechaun (from last week's yarn expedition to Seaport Yarn with my newbie knitter co-worker);  from Loopy Ewe: Farmhouse Yarn Fanny's Fingering Weight in Rhapsody and Numma Numma Toasty sock yarn in Pesto.  I really want to cast on for a new sock with one of these but I can't choose.  Which skein should I knit up first and should it be a pattern or a plain sock?  I need guidance!  Thanks

Mo FO

The Skittles Socks are done!  What a load off my shoulders.  I have come to the conclusion that I am a very selfish knitter who likes to knit only for herself.  A quick project for charity like a washcloth or a hat?  No problem.  But a pair of socks for someone else's kid?  Pain in the Ass.  Burdensome knitting.  The only thing that kept me going was the candy coated color.  Cherry Tree Hill, the Brights.  Knit on US #2 DPNs.  Started on March 7 and finished on April 21. 

Now for a couple WIPs.  My current train knitting is, of course, a pair of socks.  The pattern is my plain vanilla stockinette sock recipe.  The yarn is some delightful Farmhouse Yarns, Fanny's Fingering Weight in the Confetti colorway.  I finished the heel flap and heel on the train this morning.  If I keep focused these could be my MDSW socks.  EIGHT DAYS!!!  If you're going to MDSW (and I don't already know you're going) and want to meet up at the Ravelry meet-up on Saturday, leave a comment.  I will hunt you down and make you my friend. I am so f-ing excited to go to MDSW!!!  I am jumping out of my f-ing skin! 

Confetti sock among the Bleeding Hearts.

Hard Core Close-Up Knit Pron.

I like this sock yarn so much I ordered another skien from the Loopy Ewe in the Rhapsody colorway and also some Numma Numma sock yarn in the Pesto colorway, which is now sold out. 

Of late, my knitting modus operandi is to have 2 sweaters going and at least 2 other smaller projects on the needles (guess I need to start a second pair of socks.  My mojo is back!).  Last post, I had a photo of the Cinxia cardi so this time, here's the ever popular Mr. Greenjeans.

Mr. G is in that blobby stage all top down raglans go through.  It's the knitting equivalent of the awkward pimply-faced phase of early adolescence.  The yarn is a Rhinebeck purchase.  It's Bartlett Yarn worsted in the Bronze colorway.  The yarn has a strong wool odor which I like a lot.

In other knitting news, I successfully converted a yarn-curious muggle into a knitter!  She started her  first garter stitch scarf on Tuesday and finished it today.  I showed her how to bind off and weave in the ends this morning.  Not a single dropped stitch, no extra picked-up stitches or accidental yarn-overs either.  It's an awesome wearable scarf from some of my old stash yarn (a nice variegated pink/red Crystal Palace wool).  She also met Deborah, Shameka and Risa, too! I knew she'd become a knitter because while she was knitting on this scarf she was already planning her next couple projects.  I just wish I had a photo of her first FO.  She's a co-worker and doesn't know I blog. For now, I want to keep my blogging on the hush-hush at the office.  She was very eager to buy more yarn so at lunch today, we had a field trip to Seaport Yarn, where she bought enough yarn for 3 more projects and her first circular needle.  Aaaww, it's an infant stash!  Here's hoping her wee baby stash will grow big and strong and healthy.  Good times! 

G is for

GREEN!  What a coincidence. It being Earth Day and all.  "Happy Earth Day," says the woman drinking from a disposable paper cup.  I'll wash it out and re-use it the rest of the week.  I do have ceramic mugs at my desk.  Duh.

Green is my favorite color.  I'm knitting my first true Green sweater: Cinxia. 

The yarn is Berroco Peruvia color #7122 (Avocado).  I'm finished with the lower part of the body.  Now I'm knitting the first sleeve (knit in the round)  Then there's more knitting on the body and you attach the sleeves, do the yoke and collar. Blah blah blah.  It's a seamless sweater.  Me likey seamless.

More Green.

Green Vase

G is also for Growth.  Lots of stuff sprouting and blooming and germinating and growing.

Green Moss

Gorgeous

Weird & Ghastly. 

These things grow along my neighbor's fence.  These flowers mature into other worldly ginormous leaves.  Very cool.

G is Gazing.  Now that the weather is warm enough for opening windows and letting in fresh air, Stella has a new favorite spot.  If the window is open, she's sitting there gazing out the window and watching the goings-on about the neighborhood.

Good-bye for now. 

In-Flight FO

On the flight home from Miami, I finished Hello Yarn's Cherry Garcia cowl.  The meat maxi yarn (aka Andy's Merino II in Salmon) knits up nicer than it looks in the skein.  It's still kinda road-killish. But I like that.

  Head on view.

Side impact view.

Only problem, it's too small for me.  I should have cast on 100 stitches rather than 80.  Oh well.  I mailed it off to a small girl with a mom who will appreciate the fugliness.  There is enough yarn left for another cowl or a hat.  I think it will be a hat.

Although I was in Miami on biz, I managed to enjoy myself too.  Highlights of the trip:

• Seeing an elderly couple (the guy was in a wheel chair, his wife/girlfriend was mobile), vigorously perusing the erotikka/p0rn section at the airport book store.  Woman says, "Oh here's the Kama Sutra.  You'd like that."
• Sky Mall magazine:  this is the one thing about flying that makes me really happy.  Never have I seen such an assortment of crap (useless and useful) in one place.  So many ways to diguise litter boxes and make them attrative decorative elements!  The piece de resistance had to be the Yard Yeti.  It's a big resin sculpture of Yeti (or Big Foot or Sasquatch) for your yard or garden.  I want one but it cost $98-.

Pretty lame highlights.  Here's the rest in pictures.

My ghostly white foot enjoys the pool.

New sock in Fanny's Fingering in Confetti.

Yummy pulled pork sandwich!

View from the airplane.

It's good to go away but it's good to be back.

This and That and the Other

It's a beautiful Saturday morning.  I took Stella for a walk in the early morning mist with my cup of coffee.  Spring is here.  For real.
Thanks for all the excellent & supportive comments about my beloved tattoo!
It seems like a long time ago, and I wanted to post sooner but work is busier than a one-legged man in an ass kicking contest ,so I haven't been able to post about Misa's visit on Monday.  We had a wonderful time.  Ate some food at Once Upon a Tart and then did yarn shopping at Purl.

Happy knitters at the Wall of Koigu.

Misa & the Fab Old Lady in Red

There was moderate stash enhancement.

Clockwise from left: Andy's Merino II in Salmon, Fannie's Fingering Weight in Confetti and Manos in Marigold (#58).  When I showed Misa the skank of Salmon, she said, oooh fugly.  We both agreed that the colors were reminiscent of that pad on the bottom of a styrafoam meat tray.  A Meat Maxi Pad!  Wound into a yarn cake, the Salmon yarn reminds me of road kill.  Gross, but at the same time, kind of interesting.  The Salmon/Meat Maxi/Road Kill yarn will become Hello Yarn's Cherry Garcia cowl/neck warmer.  Astonishingly enough, the Marigold Manos neeeded no marinating in the stash and I immediately knit it up into SixOneSeven's Dolores Park Cowl. 

It's the perfect little knit for walking Stella on a chilly night.  Plus, unlike a scarf, I don't have to worry about scarf ends dangling while I scoop poop. I saw both these neck warmers/cowls over at Julia's and was immediately smitten.  Monkey see, monkey do. I'm a copycat.
After Purl, we meandered over to the Point for some tea drinking, cup cake eating, knitting and yarn petting.  It was a fun visit with an old friend!  Come back soon!
Yesterday on the train to work, I sat right next to a woman who turned out to be a Knitter in Public!  She whipped out her knitting (a sweater? a poncho? I forget) and we both knit all the way to Hoboken.  Good times!

During the train ride, I knit on Koolhaas and soon realized that some time ago, I had screwed it up.  At lunch I examined the damage and decided to frog the whole thing and start over in the fall when knitting a hat seems fresh & new.  Once again, the frogging was freeing and liberating rather than an act of frustration. 

Inked

Nice to meet you Chappy!

Saturday was a fantastic day.  The weather cleared up and Deb & I met for a walk with the dogs and then some coffee.  Stella & Chappy got along very well.  They pretty much ignored each other while we walked and Stella completely ignored Chappy when we stopped off for coffee.  She's not used to hanging out with other dogs but doesn't seem to have any aggression issues, which is good.  With most dogs, Stella sniffs them and then ignores them. She was pretty wiped out from her walk and just flopped down for a nap when we got home. 

Saturday's fun continued with a trip to Electric Lotus Tattoo.  Yes, a new tattoo!  For the past couple years, I've been thinking aobut getting a knitting-related tattoo and finally made the appointment.  This is my third tattoo so I knew what to expect.  Liam came along to act as photographer (Mr. Kim was going to come too but his Mom got sick so he has to go take care of her).

Ouch!  That's the Cinzia cardigan I'm knitting.  The yarn is Berroco Peruvia in Avocado (color #7122).  My tattoo was inspired by my favorite Born to Knit t-shirt from Modern Yarn, but I changed the colors, the skull and needle placement, etc. 

Pre-tattooing: the tattoo stencil.

More ouch.

Tattoo artist Jae matched the color of the skull's yarn head to my Jitterbug socks in the Jay colorway.  The tattoo is very large and wraps around my left calf.  Go big or go home!

Born to Knit!

I am so happy with this bright big tattoo!  You know I'll be wearing a lot of skirts this summer to show it off.  Gotta run.  Misa just called and she's here!  We're meeting in Soho!