Baby Jeans (or Why I Love LMKG So Much!)

I know I've said it before, but LMKG is a great knitting book.

I give you Exhibit A: (actually it's more like Exhibit M, considering all the things I've made from this book)



A pair of (almost) finished Baby Jeans. I just have to wash and dry them tomorrow (along with all my other laundry I've been neglecting lately), weave in the ends & drawstring, and voila! Baby Jeans. That are machine washable and dry-able. That shrink, fade and soften like real jeans. (At least, that's what it says they'll do!)

Specs:
Pattern: LMKG Baby Denim Drawstring Pants
Yarn: 2.5 skeins Rowan Denim, Memphis colour
Needles: US 6 / 4mm
Modifications: Only to the drawstring; I did a 4 stitch i-cord instead of 2... I didn't think the 2 looked robust enough.

I'll post an "after the wash" picture tomorrow.

Log Cabin

This morning I finally finished cutting all the ends off the back of the log cabin baby blanket for the OSCBF's newest family member. He left this morning for a conference in Saskatchewan (how did I actually spell that right on the first try?!) and afterwards he will be traveling farther west to visit various family members, including the cousins who just had a baby a few weeks ago. We were running more than a little behind this morning, though, so these are the best pics I got of it before it got thrown into a suitcase:






One with flash and two without. Try to imagine it flat and without the mess of our breakfast dishes in the background...

Specs:

Yarn: Berroco Touché (It must seem like I hoard this stuff or something, but all I can say is hoorah for machine washable!)
Needles: Size 8 / 5 mm circs & crochet hook (for the pink border you probably can't even see in these pics)
Pattern: None - just a straight up log cabin as explained in this tutorial by Mason-Dixon Knitting.

I can check #1 off my summer knits list!

meme

I got tagged by the PhD knitter to participate in the following meme:

The Rules: Each person tagged gives seven random facts about themselves. Those tagged need to write in their blogs seven facts, as well as the rules of the game. You need to tag seven others and list their names on your blog. You have to leave those you plan on tagging a note in their comments so they know that they have been tagged and need to read your blog.


Before I start I just want to say that I have been up and working since 5:45 this morning, so I'm really tired and these will probably be whatever randomness pops into my head at the moment...

1. I have never eaten a grilled cheese sandwich. Ever. Nor am I really very interested in doing so. I've had grilled cheese + something else, but never just a straight grilled cheese.

2. I learned to knit when I was quite young, but left it alone for many many years. I've picked it back up from time to time but always left it again. I started knitting again most recently last September... I joined a group when I moved to the states to get to know more people. This time I think I'm going to stick with it though.

3. I just completed my first year of a PhD. I'm really glad I had 2 years of a Master's beforehand or I would have felt COMPLETELY out of place.

4. I am back in Canada for the summer, living with the OSCBF and working at a factory. I've worked in factories before, but this is probably the most manual labour I've ever done in my life. It always reminds me why I want to go back to school in the fall, even after a particularly hard year. Other than knitting, I'm not really cut out for hard manual labour.

5. I played piano for 8 (maybe even 9?) years, but I never finished my grade 8 Royal Conservatory exam, which I regret.

6. I really only speak Spanish fluently (aside from English, of course), but I find that I can follow conversations in French and Italian, and read most Portuguese, but listening to Portuguese is almost impossible. I haven't studied French since high school and my spoken French is broken and smattered with Spanish now, but I will be taking an Italian course next year.

7. The OSCBF and I met during a Summer Shakespeare production of Much Ado About Nothing. It was my first (and to date only) acting experience (outside of a few shows we did in the Spanish department) and I would definitely do it again... maybe next time they'd even let me have lines! (I was the only person without lines, yet, because of my freakish memory I had almost the whole play memorized...). I tried out on a whim... I was finishing my last year of the BA, had just gotten accepted to the MA and was feeling very "brave new world" about the whole thing. I was in a place where I wanted to try new things and push my limits... so I did and I had one of the most interesting summers of my life.

I haven't decided who I'll tag yet... I might not tag anyone... so if you feel like letting me know 7 things about you, leave a comment and I'll come check it out.

acquisitions

So, after posting on Friday that I had yarn stores on the brain, I proceeded to look up yarn stores. The smallish but well stocked one was advertising a "big, honkin' sale", which just happened to start that very same day. It was fate, I'm sure! So, I hopped in the car and drove over. Their stuff seems expensive, but I guess I've become accustomed to US prices... which, by the by, has anyone noticed how good the loonies has been doing?! But I digress...

So, being one for a good bargain, I picked up the following:


The Summer Issue of Interweave Knits (not on sale, but I was going to buy it anyway), 3 skeins of Rowan Denim in Memphis, and 7 skeins of Baruffa Merinos Sei in colour 42000 (sort of a charcoal grey).... Otherwise known as just enough yardage to make the sweater on the cover of the summer IK!

Here's an upclose of the Merinos Sei (apparently made by the same company as Trendsetters).

And an closeup of the Rowan Denim. I've been wanting to try this to possibly make the skirt from Spring IK (which can be seen here on Eunny Jang's blog - she should really post something new, soon!) but these three skeins are going to be used for the denim baby pants in Last Minute Knitted Gifts for my friend who is having a baby in June. If I like the way it knits up, then I will possibly try out the skirt.

procrastination

I took today off (sort of... it's been dead at my new job and since my supervisor is also my cousin I told him that if he didn't really need me I have some major work I should be doing... so he told me I could stay home today) so that I could finish a paper... which was technically due yesterday. Eep. So, instead, I'm thinking about yarn shops. I mean, I never get to go to any here because A. they're far away (my LYS in Baltimore is about 4 blocks from my house), B. I work during the day and they're closed by the time I'm home and cleaned up sufficiently to fondle yarn and C. I'm tired all the time from this new job. There are many other reasons too, not the least being that I should be spending my "free" time writing papers... like, right now. But I'm thinking about yarn stores. There are quite a few in the city (I mean, this is Canada!) and I've really only ever been to two. The huge warehouse (which has decent prices but mostly novelty yarns) and one that I went to when I first got back a couple of weeks ago (tiny but decent selection... I didn't have much time to look around 'cause I was with the OSCBF and didn't want to bore him completely). There are at least 2 more that I haven't explored yet and I am jonesing for some yarn time. In Baltimore I would make it to the LYS at least once or twice a week (so close! on my way home from school!!) and here I've only been to one in the last 2 weeks, for about 5 mins tops. So I'm making myself a deal. If I get a decent chunk of this paper done in the next couple of hours I might go yarn store hopping. I'll update on how it works out later!

Summer knits contest

Wooooo... a contest! And a simple one at that! Skeins her way is hosting a "what ya gonna knit" contest for the summer and giving away her newest pattern and some gorgeous blue sky cotton. So now all I have to do is let you know what I plan on doing this summer.

1. Finish the log cabin blanket (super soon actually) for the OSCBF's newest family member.

2. Finish the vest for the OSCBF (which has sadly been languishing for months... and won't really be useful to him until November or December...)

3. Make BMP socks for my little bro

4. Figure out what I'm going to do with the lovely Schafer Anne yarn I bought with a Christmas Gift Certificate... I'm thinking either the Silk Cami from LMKG or a shawl I saw in Fall '06 interweave knits...

5. More baby stuff for a friend who is having a shower soonish... depending on how soon is soonish I will have to decide how big a project I can take on...

6. Something for my mom for her birthday... It's not until the end of June though, so I'm sure I'll think of something by then!

So, that's it... that's all I've got planned for the summer so far. That and 3 more term papers to write before Aug. 1. Eep!

P.S. I saw this first on the ADD Knitter's blog. Part of the contest is that you have to let people know how you found out about it.

blocks that rock!

OK, so I've settled in (mostly) back in Canada and I've started working. I've also been attempting to write papers in the evenings. I am so tired I've barely knit a stitch all week. I did, however, decide to weave in the ends loosely, wash and block the surprise for my friend's bridal shower tomorrow. Of course, I left it until this evening so now I'm panicking that it won't dry in time for tomorrow morning.

Remember the sneak peak picture? Well here's the full thing, being blocked:


It's the nightie from Interweave Knits Spring '07 (if you didn't already guess that...) and I really enjoyed knitting it.
Specs:
Pattern: Interweave Knits Spring 07 (available online in PDF format)
Needles: Size 4 circ
Yarn: Berroco Touché Pink (don't remember what #)
Time: a couple of weeks on and off?
Notes: This is the smallest size (my friend is both shorter and thinner than me, so I didn't think making the medium (which is what I would have made for me) would have been appropriate. Unfortunately it is REALLY short for a nightie and will probably make a better night-shirt and / or lacy top. I'll let her decide. I was going to get a pair of matching silky shorts or something but I just haven't had the time. :S


OSCBF and I went to an antique shop last night and I found these old wooden sock blockers... just about the right size for my little feet!


And speaking of feet, the OSCBF showed off his crafty side today and built us a shoe closet!

Sorry for the badness of the photos... I'm just too tired to keep trying to get a good shot.

movin' on up, movin' on out

Well, I'm headed back to the Great White North today. I'm just waiting for the van to pick me up to head to the airport... should be in the next 10 mins or so. So if I don't post for any new pics for a few days, please be forgiving! I'll be back asap... I mean, I have 2 papers due in the next two weeks, plus I'm starting a full time job on Tuesday... clearly I'll need to be knitting, just to keep my sanity! And the airplane knitting... oh, there will be airplane knitting...