What have I been doing lately?

Sorry for my absence! I've been very busy at the new job (going well), and taking advantage of the warm weather to get a few things done around the garden.

Last sunday I began Rhonda's crochet class at my LYS. I never learned to crochet, and there have been many times I've chose not to work on a knitting pattern because it had crochet finishing. No more! We are working on a scarf that will have a wave pattern.



Lest you think I've been neglecting my knitting... I'm still plugging away at the
Maggie Sweather, aka "sweater number two". Here's a peek:

Ice Queen e finito

I finally finished it! The picot cast off was a bit of a challenge. But, when you stop and actually follow directions, its not so bad!

Here's a few preliminary pics. I'll eventually put some better ones on ravelry. But for now this is what I have.

Cycle of Shame: Patches' Private Journey

Last night DH and I came home from dinner out, flicked on the kitchen light, and discovered Patches in the act of shredding some toilet paper. It'd been weeks, nay, months since her last attack. Why the relapse Patches? Why?

To better understand her desparate situation, I've outlined the five steps of toilet paper addiction.

Step 1: Rebellion.
Step 2: Wallowing.

Step 3: Codependence.

Step 4: Aggression.

Step 5: Shame.

First day

Survived my first day at my new job! My new coworkers are really nice, and it was a pretty easy day over all. I'm enjoying it, because I'm sure I'll have a ton of work by the week's end!

I'm almost done with Ice Queen, and also getting back to work on Sweater Number Two

I'll try to post some pics later this week!

2008 New England Flower Show

I thought you might be needing a dose of flowers and spring. Here are some photos from the Flower Show I went to on Saturday. Enjoy!

How'd you like to have this in your backyard?

Another view

Frilly daffodils

Foxglove

Moss

Bonsai

Tropical houseplants

Dog of Ivy

Birds of Ivy

Orchids under water, arrangement

Deleting comments

Friendly public service announcement... You may notice some weirdness in the comments section of my posts... I've been getting hit with some weird "spam" comments the past week or so, and have been deleting them.

JUMP!

OMG. When I came home tonite, from my last day at MIT, DH had a funny surprise waiting for moi. He's been taking classes on video editing at the local access TV station. He made a short video of Patches calle "JUMP!", and it was so funny. I'm hoping we can get it up on google video or YouTube.

It really made me laugh, and I was feeling sad about leaving my buddies at MIT.

Spring has sprung....

The tomatoes are riz....


Umm... I better call Mom and tell her we're canning tomatoes this summer!


I finally put new batteries in the digital camera. It's been BUSY lately. Winding things down at work, getting ready to gear up for the new job, DH's 40th b-day... Whew!

I did find time to order some seeds. I signed up for a space in the local community garden, but I'm on the waiting list. My neighbors ok'd the idea of putting some plants in our yard though, so these will have a home one way or another. I also broke down and bought a few plants by mail order. Would you like to see...?


Dwarf Banana Tree. Grows to about 3 ft tall, and produces regular sized edible bananas, like you'd find in the grocery store!



Blood Orange Tree. Tastes like a regular orange (the really good ones are more tart)but the flesh is dark purple-red.



Northern Patches. Needs full sun, often grows wild. Difficult to cultivate.

Ice Queen and other matters

I'm making real progress on Ice Queen. I've been knitting this at home and on the train. The latter can be a bit difficult, so there have been times I've ended a row and discovered too few or too many stitches, and had to increase or decrease to keep the lace pattern correct. Here's a sneak peak:



And a close up:



And how I keep all my beads together:



Pre-beading the yarn is both convenient and a hassle. It's great, because I don't have to worry about spilling beads on the train. However, constantly having to stop, and push the beads down the yarn on the rows I don't use them is a pain, and has created some tangles here and there.

I haven't been at SnB lately, because work has been incredibly busy. I'm barely keeping up with what I need to do. And, matters are complicated by the fact that I have a new job!! That's right! I just accepted a new position at a non-profit in my very own town of Salem. My last day at MIT will be in two weeks.

Things I'll miss about MIT:
My officemate and office friends
MIT SnB
Danielle, Femiknit, the Wanton Seed Stitch, and Rhonda the Stitching nut
My iMac and PhotoBooth
Having my own office with a door
A great boss

I'm thrilled about my new job, and my new commute (ten minutes anyone?). I'm looking forward to making news friends there and the exciting work that lies ahead. But all the same, I will really really miss MIT. Change is hard!

I think in the future, Rhonda can expect to see me more often at Seed Stitch!

you get the picture

My digital camera at home is out of batteries, and I'm too lazy at the moment to do anything about it. Here's a photo update of Ice Queen courtesy of my on-board computer camera. Not the best quality, but you get the idea.

No SnB for me today

:-(

I was out of the office yesterday, so I need to catch up on some things today.

I made some progress on Ice Queen yesterday while I was at home... It has beads! It has beads!

It definitely seems to resemble the Ice Queen as depicted in the photos on knitty, so I think I'm on the right track.

We'll see. Bead placement/chart reading could be an issue!

Ice Queen update

I finished doing the picot cast-on for Ice Queen. Here's a rather sketchy photograph that doesn't do it justice.



It's incredibly soft and fluffy!

I hope to get a few more rounds done, with beads, so I can see how it's going to look.

If I get this done in time (ya RIGHT!) I might give this to a friend who has a b-day coming up, and break the cycle of selfish knitting.

Ice Queen commenceth

Thanks to Rhonda, I finally cast on for Ice Queen (version B)

She recommended I do a "picot cast on" rather than a provisional cast on. Thanks again for teaching me how to do that! I finished the cast on over the weekend, and this morning on the train started translating the chart into a notebook for easier knitting.

Stay tuned for a photo....

Aimee Sweater - critique

I'm wearing the Aimee Sweater - in public - today. I feel kind of lukewarm about the final product. The douceur et soie brand yarn I used, which is a blend of mohair and silk, is very droopy. Plus, I think I could have gotten away with doing a size smaller. The net result is a sweater that looks/feels kind of baggy to me. I also think its a bit too long. I much prefer things that are fitted.

I might someday try this again, in KSH and a different color. and shoulder pads. HA! just kidding!

The Ice Queen stalleth

Well. I tried to cast on for Ice Queen. But the provincial cast on that Rhonda recommended is proving to be a little challenging. I printed out the directions for the PC that knitty.com linked to, but I'm all thumbs and elbows with this one.

I strung all my beads onto the kidsilk haze, though. This seems to be an acceptable technique. The idea being that everytime the pattern calls for a bead, you just slide one down the yarn, and presto!

We'll see.

Rhonda, if you're out there, and planning on being at SnB this week, I may beg your indulgence for another cast on demo.

Finished object! Aimee Sweater

I've finally finished the Aimee Sweater! I just need to add the ribbon thru the waist. I'll pick that up on my lunch break tomorrow. I thought I'd wait to do the official photo of me wearing it until I got that squared away. I also need to find a new short to wear with it. Most peope who've knit this wear it with a collared/button down shirt.

Here's a preview:

Gargoyle

A gargoyle has been camping out on top of our laundry machines.

Finished Object!!

Home sick today. I don't know how I managed it, but I caught some kind of viral throat/cold thingy. Not pleasant!

On the bright side, MIT SnBers will be extremely surprised to hear that I actually have a finished object to show off!

This weekend I finished the Debbie Bliss Cross Over Jacket, for Lady S's new baby. I hope it fits the baby, but if not it should make a good sweater for a doll. I posted my comments/critique on my ravelry page, as well as project specs, for those interested.






Rhonda will be pleased to know that I am seaming my lace sweater that has been languishing for a while. I'm about halfway done seaming it, and stopped since I'm kind of delirious at the moment!

ummmm... DO OVER!

I frogged my poll. Check it out.

so I should explain

The reason for my new mini-poll.... I've noticed an abundance of cat references and photos on knitting blogs and ravelry. So far, things are leading to dogs. Very surprising.

I won't be in SnB today... I have to run to whole foods on my lunch break to get the ingredients I need for the annual bake off in my office, which is tomorrow!

This weekend I am determined to finish my secret project, so I can mail it and finally get to some other things, such as seaming my Aimee sweater, and casting on for ice queen.

stay tuned!