Friday, February 27, 2004
over the weekend i fell ill, once again. i have a sinus infection and bronchitis and general ick going on. i feel worse than i have in a long time, but i am finally on the mend! i've amused myself by knitting some dishcloths. i had a ton of cotton yarn leftover from my return to knitting a few years ago, and decided that a few quick knits were probably all i could handle. plus, i need dishcloths, so its a win-win type of situation. here are two of them:
i also finally started the second aran cuff sock, and i expect it will be finished by early in the week. the adam is visiting this weekend, so i have to do some laundry and straightening up in preparation. but mostly, i'm spending another day curled up with my knitting. also- thanks for all the awesome compliments on the blanket and sweater. i'm pretty proud of both and it makes me feel all gushy and warm when people say nice things! thank you again! xoxo.
7:58 AM /
Thursday, February 19, 2004
this is a picture crazy week! first up i have photos and details of the blanket i created for my friend leesa, who gave birth to healthy baby ruby on february 15. i used plymouth encore and created a fairly interesting pattern based around a gigantic striped mitered square. leesa requested pink and brown, and off i went. i really love this blankie, right down to the fabric i used to back it. and here it is:
i was unsure about doing a fabric backing, but once i got over my fear of running my hard work through my sewing machine- i was very happy with the result! leesa received it last week and now i can post photos. now i'm without a large project and without the money to procure big project. but, i have some job possibilities on the horizon and once something comes through, i reward myself with more knits. the other good news in my life is that i received an 'A' on my first essay in the class i'm taking. i consider it a triumphant return to university.
and last, i leave you with some cat sentimentality. first, njorah trying to have a cuddle with jezzebelle:
and jezzebelle covered in catnip, getting ready for a nap:
4:03 PM /
Tuesday, February 17, 2004
i asked adam to photograph me in my new sweater, and this is what we got:
luckily- the reactions to the sweater were much better than the photoshoot. meg liked it so much she wants to borrow the pattern, and i'm sure it'll look a lot better on meg than it does on me! after giving the sweater a lot of wearing over the weekend, i can truly say that i am in love. so a happy ending to my second sweater project. much happier than the first sweater ending.
i had a fantastic time in canada over the weekend. we had a valentine's dinner party for our friends and the food and company were amazing. every single time i visit, i leave more sure of the fact that north is where i should be. if only it were as easy as packing up my car and going. stupid international relationship- it would be so much easier if he lived in another state. such is life. anyway, i have phone calls to make and chores to take care of. xoxo.
11:22 AM /
Thursday, February 12, 2004
i finished!!! and now you get to see a really horrid photo of my irish green sweater! adam will take photos of me IN it over the weekend, and then you can forget how funny the colour looks on the carpet of my apartment (very little natural light today, stupid winter). i'm pretty happy with it. it fits me perfectly. the sleeves were about four or five inches too long, so i ripped back from the cast on (which was a little messy until i got it going), and knit down. on a whim, i decided to make the cuffs ribbed. as for the turtleneck, while i was knitting the collar i realized i was going to look really funny with such a chunky turtleneck and i was checking the length in the length in the mirror when i had a lightbulb over the head moment. a split neck cowl! its one of my favourite necklines and i think it worked pretty well. it was my first time setting in sleeves (my first sweater was knit in all one piece from the top down) and there was some funkiness, but i managed. and seaming really wasn't as hard as i thought it would be! i used whatever my vogue knitting quick reference called 'invisible' seams, and they worked like a charm. i feel accomplished. yay for me.
wow, that was a lot of knitting talk! today i plan to make a mixed cd type thing for the boy's valentine. i'm also going to bake him some cookies, futz around with my mp3 player, do some laundry, and other assorted house chores. tomorrow i'm heading north for commercial love day, where i will begin the weekend by having dinner with my meg and chris and adam. what a way to celebrate the hallmark holiday! happy weekend and valentine's day to everyone. xoo.
12:49 PM /
Thursday, February 05, 2004
i decided that the best way for me to combat the never-ending winter was to make a springish new dress for the good old website! it is all dainty and pretty and la di da, and it makes me happy. i hope you like it as well.
if you're paying attention to the sidebar (does anyone even look over there?), you'll see that not only have i completed the baby blanket (and it is DARLING and i can't wait until my friend has received it so i can show you), but i have abandoned the striped socks (they were a casualty of the kitten EATING the entire set of brittany birches that were being used to knit said socks. oh, and a victim of disinterest), and started a pair of aran cuffed socks, based on this pattern. see?
i started them so i'd have something semi interesting to do with my idle hands in class. i got six repeats of the cable done during class AND managed to take a decent amount of notes AND talk my little smart mouth off. i've been wanting to try this pattern for a while- i haven't knit a sock from the cuff down since my second pair a year and a half ago. i cheated and did a short row heel, because i just don't like heel flaps and whatnot.
i mentioned before that adam is visiting this weekend, which makes me so happy. for our entire relationship we have lived 280 miles apart (not to mention, lived in different countries)- and now, two years and three months later? the distance is really starting to get old. so i really enjoy his visits here, and my visits up there. he's a sweet sweet boy (see the comments on yesterday's entry for his opinions about my kitten), and if he's good i'm going to let him drop a new hard drive in my tivo. and that requires trust, because don't NOBODY mess with my tivo. ha ha.
i hope everyone is having a good week, and don't forget! new episode of friends tonight! yay! xoxo.
2:41 PM /
Tuesday, February 03, 2004
i wish i had a more interesting photo to show. i can't seem to photograph the sweater-in-progress in a flattering light. but, as you can see, i've now finished the front and one sleeve (which seems to have turned out a bit too long, but i can edit that post-completion- if need be). i started the second sleeve a little while ago, but forgot to change needles after the two rows of ribbing. out went four inches o' sleeve, and i'm not feeling up to starting over right now. i'm in a generally crappy mood, these days. i suppose it is a good thing that adam is visiting this weekend (as long as his kidney stones don't get in the way), i could use some taking care of.
BUT, it isn't all storm clouds and freezing rain in my world. i have the munchkins to keep me company. this photo was taken on sunday,
i was sitting on the bed petting jezzebelle, and njorah jumped up and sort of sat down on jezz. i went to get the camera, took the shot- and thirty seconds later, they'd both jumped off the bed, like they had realized that they'd done something dirty. they play now- they don't try to kill each other anymore- but they still aren't ready for the whole 'napping partner' thing. i hope, with time, they'll learn to snuggle.
and with that, i'm off to do some dishes, run the vacuum and contemplate what i'll be cooking for dinner tonight.
ps: the baby blanket is done, except for final blocking and the sewing on of the backing! yay!
3:32 PM /
i'm rachel m, i'm 26 and i live in cleveland, ohio. i knit, spin, and read. i have a steady sweetie, two chubby cats, a full time job
and a messy apartment.
