So it has been a while since I’ve talked about Knit Picks. I’m not endorsed by or endorsing them or anything… although it would be cool to get a corporate sponsorship. Then I’d get a bunch of comments here calling me a sellout and telling me I’ve lost my indie cred. Although wait, do I even have indie cred right now? [pssst, knit picks, I'm just sitting here waiting for you to open up a stand for me to sell out... of?]

Enough of that, here’s the real story. I like to play movie trivia. A LOT. It’s like this terrifying drive that I have. If someone says movie trivia, I’m game. Random fact, when we play Scene It, I have this uncanny ability to get every question about Xanadu right. Which is something I’m absurdly proud of. (If you’ve ever played Scene It: BOS then you know there are a ridiculous amount of questions about Xanadu.) What makes it better is that I’ve never even seen Xanadu. I’ve never read about it either. Something about the questions though makes me wonder if maybe I’m destined to travel back in time and write Xanadu. I should probably watch the movie though. But if I watch it, will my freakish skill be lost? <— whoa, tangent.

So one night we’re playing Scene It and John is tired of getting his ass handed to him. He says, “Oh, I’m going to win this next one, you can bet on it.”

Now that’s pretty tame for John. If you’ve ever been over when he plays games you know he’s got a mean mouth on him. However it was also incredibly weird for him to say because John is not a betting man. I would say John, despite his swear words, is 67% Amish. So we make our bets and bing, bang, boom: I win. Which means John agreed to get me everything on my wish list. I’m not going to hold him on that… some of the things on my wish list are pretty ridiculous.

Some things on that list though (I’ve taken things down as I’ve gotten them and he got me 3/4 of my list for Christmas- whoop!) were lace blocking needles from knit picks and another set of sock needles.

Anyways, it’s a week before Christmas and we’re talking and I said something like “well I’m worried about this thing that I’m making but I think it’ll block out much bigger than I think.”

John: “Yeah? Speaking of blocking, I was talking to a coworker today and he said that his wife just got some lace blocking needles but they were bent… are they supposed to be bent?”

Oh man, I think I laughed so hard at that. I was like, seriously? So he sheepishly admitted that he got me some lace blocking needles for Christmas. But guess what people? THEY WERE BENT.

Something must have fallen on the package during shipping.

He called Knit Picks today (even though he didn’t want to but it has been over a month) and they said, well that’s crazy but no big deal, we’ll just send you new ones. Not, okay, lets start this long and involved process of “you return the incredibly broken stuff and once we confirm that it is in fact broken, we’ll send you a replacement”. Just, that sucks, we’ll get you a new one. You might remember, I’ve had to deal with them before. I felt much better this time- probably because I didn’t have a project on these when they got messed up.

Plus, honestly, how much lace do I even do? I think the reason it was on my wish list is because I wish I had the tolerance to do lace. Although once I get these blocking needles I might need to make something to justify this whole thing being such a pain in the ass for people. Or not.

So I’ve actually got some knitting content! I know, right? I mean, you’d think, hey it’s freaktastically cold outside, why aren’t you knitting up a storm? Well, since I always have an excuse on hand, this time is that it’s cold so I don’t want to move. Moving sucks. It takes all this energy that I just don’t have. I guess it would only make sense to make a hat then.

Shazam! It’s the Snowboard Hat That Rocks and I made it in an amazingly red (and soft!) Cascade Alpaca. I do like it, although it’s a little goofy. I made it with just one ball of the eco-alpaca and I shortened up the hat a little bit. It called for four repeats of the cable pattern but I only did three because otherwise it would have been ridiculously tall and then we would have had another pope-hat occurrence.

‘

This was my first time doing ‘real’ cables. I’ve done cables before but they were all pretty self contained. These cables mixed with each other and it was cool. It took me a while to get used to it and I had to undo a good deal of it because I did it right but my tension was a little too, er, strained… however, I really like how nice they look! So much so that my next project has even ‘realer’ cables. Which I’m confident about now but I haven’t gotten to the part with the cables yet so I’ll start crying later.

In the original you’re supposed to do a braid and I’ve seen people add like an i-Cord edging or crocheted border. However I’d have to crack into my other ball to do that and I’d really rather turn that other ball into another hat. So while this could use some finishing and probably needs it… I’m not so sure. Still, I really like this hat. If only for the fact that it’s so brazenly red.

Make one today! I strongly endorse it

Holy crap! It’s already a month into this new year and I haven’t even had the decency to say ‘hey there.’

Well I apologize. I’ve been trying to come up with a cool new thing for the blog. To make it more fun. Or at least, a good read. However I haven’t come up with too much. So instead I’ll just tell it like it is: I’m pretty lame and a lame person equipped with a blog = watch out. The funny thing is that I’ve got two projects to share with you and two projects that are under construction currently. However it’s freezing and ugly outside so I can’t get any good pictures. (There’s the lame kicking in.)

So instead I’ll tell you what I’ve really been up to… nesting. Oh my goodness, it’s like I’ve got ovaries.

Here’s an action shot with not too much action. Also, if you look at the picture in the picture you’ve got a clue toward one of my projects. Only, my project is cooler. What I’ve been doing is hanging pictures. Well, I’ve been framing them and John’s the one who knows where the level is. He actually hung some brand new curtains for me the other day. To match this headboard that we got off the internet months ago but only just arrived. Which is kind of funny because it was the first time I thought, have I just been scammed by the internet? Like it’s a real person who is shifty and wants your pension.

Sorry about the flash and general crappiness. Pictures in the winter and me are constantly in a drunken bar room brawl. I got this poster when we went to PAX after I watched a preview for BioShock 2. So now it’s like you can virtually sit in my living room with me and we can knit and talk about this bastardly weather we’re having. Or we can move to the computer room, which I happen to be in right now, looking at my awesome Mystery Team poster!!

When Julie got to go to New York I was super jealous because they had extended the Mystery Team showing there, so I told her she should check it out… thinking she probably wouldn’t. However she totally got to go see it and not only that but she had the people who were there from the movie sign a poster for me–!!! I’m still jealous that she got to see it since it hasn’t come here yet, although they just put it up on Amazon to preorder, so that’s cool, I’ll get to see it eventually. In the mean time, I can look at my kick ass poster and dream, thanks to Julie.

Although, not to be outdone, John also got a sign for Christmas:

He wanted to get this when we were in Savannah last year. When he had finally made up his mind to get it though, the store was closed and it was our last day there. So that was a bummer. My mom ended up ordering it from the shop we saw it in and giving it to him for Christmas. Oh yeah, that holiday happened. On Christmas Eve we went for a leisurely drive and ended up in Plain City where we found the Holiday Horse. We took pictures with that horse.

Why? Well, why the hell not? How often do you see a Holiday Horse? (If you don’t live in Plain City, that is.)

In other fairly unrelated but loosely tethered news, my stepsisters baby is freaking adorable. Here she is on Christmas in her cute getup:

Isn’t that one classy baby?

My ‘resolutions’ for this year are pretty simple: less talking, more doing. Lets see how that goes, alright?

So to preface this post: I don’t know how people are in love with designing. There are too many effing decisions to make. This cowl came about out of necessity. I saw a pattern that looked kinda, enh, janky but I’d seen it done in a magazine in a different yarn and it looked pretty hot. It turned out it was really the dude modeling it that was hot and not so much the pattern. Well crap, here I was left needing something and with a kind of lame (and totally humongous) pattern. I needed to modify and in the end just do my own thing. That’s how the Murder Cowl was born.

No stopping him, he’s looking to the future.

Also, can you believe how long that hair is getting? It’s almost like the Great Beard Experiment of ‘08. Only hairier.

John’s parents got me a gift certificate to my yarn store last year for Christmas. So I figured, what better way to punish reward them than to knit them something from their gift, right? John picked out this yarn, it’s Elsbeth Lavold Silky Flamme- with accent marks. He picked out the colors. He just didn’t have any ideas for projects. Those skeins had about enough for a hat in them. But apparently his dad doesn’t wear hats but he will wear a scarf. (Sure, logic that works.)

I refuse to make any more scarves.

I mean, really, screw that noise. So a gaiter seemed like a good middle ground for everyone involved.

I asked Julie if I should do all the cables at the same time or if I should stagger them. She had the most awesome answer:

“You should stagger them. Because stagger rhymes with dagger and then it could be a murder cowl.”

Hell yes! I mean, there’s all kinds of strife and drama involved here. Multiple colors vying for attention. Staggered mock v. real ass cable. Nothing is going the same way, it’s all haphazard and willy-nilly. In all that chaos, you’d never know if someone got shanked. At one point I didn’t know if I was writing a cowl pattern or a scene from Oz. Either way: intense hotness.

If his dad wears this thing once I’ll consider it a success.

You really can’t listen to anything I say. When I say I won’t post in November because I’m writing, well that’s a lie. Because once I announce anything to the World that automagically kills it. My life is amazing like that. I can’t post a book I’m reading on Goodreads or I suddenly become illiterate. I can’t tell you all about upcoming projects or I’ll probably accidentally set fire to all my yarn or something. *ohdeargodnoknockonwood*

I have a sweet internet buddy who I’m friends with on Ravelry. She made some super sexy mitts so I messaged her and when she messaged back she asked, still no wips?

Well crap, I guess not. Everything I’ve worked on has been dormant or it’s super quick and not really a work in progress so much as just happening. However I did finally bind off on a new sock and it was a new technique and everything. Elizabeth Zimmerman’s sewn bind off. Which I heard from Michelle, the sock queen, is a good way to bind off your toe up socks. Who knew?

Leaving me with two Cookie A. socks. Both without mates and they’re probably not going to get them any time soon. On the left is Rick, which I started this summer but got bummed out on. On the right is my recently finished Hedera. While I love the pattern and I love the Cherry Tree Hill yarn, I don’t think the two sit well with each other.

Plus the two together make me think of Christmas and the knitting I should do for that which makes me want to barf.

Also thanks a lot Fall for making the sun go away so early so I can’t get any good pictures outside anymore.

I did finish my first gift… but it’s for my mom and since she’s kind of picky about things, I probably won’t give it to her since it’s huge and she’s tiny and she probably won’t like it. FAIL.

Since I’ve never seen my mom wear a hat in the Winter, I decided to make her a head band. Well I restarted this sucker a few times because it was HUUUUGGGGGEEE. Even modified it’s still freaking gigantic. However, the Malabrigo was nice to work with, despite it being wool and the pattern is cool: Calorimetry. That is, if you’re into huge ass head bands. Which I think I kind of am. Huh.

So, I don’t know if you’d call me a last minute person but I definitely seem to be lately. We knew our friends were having a party like a ridiculous amount of time in advance and we knew they had really planned out their costumes. However we didn’t decide what we wanted to be until Thursday of last week. Which basically left Friday to go out and get stuff for our costumes. Then I had to stitch up a mask and bing bang boom, we had Halloween costumes. Kinda.

John went as a werewolf that had turned back into a human. Or himself after he gets angry and takes it out on his clothes. I mean, really guys, he’s so very angry and serious because Halloween is definitely serious business.

Are you guys serious yet? Because he’d hate to have to go all werewolf angry on the cute floral pillow in the background that Jessica made. It was our friends Jessica and Joey who had the party and they went as Travis Touchdown and Sylvia Christel (from No More Heroes). So here’s a picture for reference.

Here they are:

I was loading my pictures into iPhoto and I realized that man, I really do suck at taking pictures lately. I didn’t have any of my costume! I didn’t take very many of the other people at the party. Mostly because I didn’t know them so I didn’t want a bunch of pictures of strangers. Especially photos of random strangers boobs. Because one girl who was there was all about showing everyone her boobs. Which, I guess that’s cool?

Pretty lame of me for sure. The next day I had John take some pictures of me though. I went as Dr. Henry Killinger from the Venture Bros. Here’s a reference:

Here’s me being a tool/dork/nerd:

There are some more pictures at my flickr. Hope everyone had an awesome Halloween!

Looks like I’ve dropped the ball again. Here it is a week into October, the best month yet of the year and I haven’t done much to keep you up, bloggy. Sorry about that! This is also going to disappoint you but I probably won’t be posting at all in November, unless it’s to say that I’ve dropped out of NaNoWriMo. Although let’s be honest- the odds are pretty good that I’ll drop out. Because unlike Dave from Hell’s Kitchen, I am a quitter. If my wrist gets mangled in some sort of horrible tiger taming experiment gone wrong you can bet you’re ass I won’t be throwing scallops into a pan the next day. You hear me Dave??

Yeah, he’s starting to get it.

There are some projects though that are so tiny and adorable that you’d be a terrible human being if you didn’t finish them.

Saartje’s Bootees.[rav link]

I enjoyed making these. Of course John did all the work of picking out the yarn, the pattern and even going through some buttons I just inherited from a friend who moved out of town… I still knit them though, I swear! Plus I’m glad he picked the Shi Bui that I hated in grown up sock form (due to ugly gross pooling) because it’s too sweet in tiny baby shoe form.

I’m really happy with how they turned out and it’s got me thinking about some other left over sock yarn I’m about to have. Do you know what else I have laying around? Freaking apples.

A whole delicious box full of apples. We went apple picking last weekend and it was nice and relaxing. Weekends are kind of kick ass lately.

Speaking of John, two nights ago his damn cat was wailing the whole night. (No, my cat was not being mean to her. Why would you assume that? No my eyes are not shifty either, they’re just my eyes.) Then last night he was up tossing and turning because his elbows hurt.

No really, what in the hell are you supposed to do for hurt elbows? I’m at a loss here.

My weekend started out with a bang! On Friday I got to go see the Flaming Lips. I am getting really pumped for their new release Embryonic. I especially like Convinced of the Hex.

Their opening got me pumped. It’s been a long time since I’ve been that excited at a concert.

They played all the songs I wanted them to and then a few songs I hadn’t realized I’d wanted them to.

Of course, with a Friday like that my Saturday was pretty lame. Shelving books all day is especially boring after a sweet concert. However to make up for that, my Sunday was pretty freaking awesome since I went to A Wool Gathering. (You might remember it from before?) I got there via rocket car, Julie’s rocket car that can and does go faster than the speed of sound. We sonic boom’d our way there for sure.

When I wasn’t watching the herding dogs be wicked cool I was falling in love with angora bunnies again. While that was happening, Julie was having a Stevie Wonder moment with her yarn.

Isn’t she lovely?

I really can’t stop myself.

Before I ran off to join the circus I actually finished some knitting. Lately though, me saying I finished anything sounds like a damn dirty lie. It would probably sound more realistic if I told you I stole these from somebody who was incapacitated, which is what I actually did.

Spring Forward in some beautiful and amazing Malabrigo sock. I freaking love these socks!

Although I kind of jumped the shark on them. See, I was so excited because I tried out some new techniques on these. I made them using magic loop, which I’d never done. I did them toe up! Two at a time even. See, I had one skein of Malabrigo so I didn’t know how much yarn I really had or how long I could make them. So doing two at a time made sense, otherwise it would suck if I made one really long sock and then ran out of yarn for the second and had a midget sock. It would be like when Eric and Bill interact:

I think I would have resented the midget sock. Much like I resent Bill.

I also (thanks to Julie) made a short row heel! Which was really nice and I think I might be a convert.

So I was super excited about these socks because I felt like I achieved so much with them. In my haste I cast off and foolishly wove in the ends for the first sock. Because what could go wrong, right? Well it was soooopa tight. That k1tbl, p1 ribbing just doesn’t work with my calves that are what? Freakishly huge? Too big to wear boots anyways. (However I believe most, if not all boots are made for people with tiny children legs. These are people I’m not friends with because that’s just creepy. I’d rather have man legs than tiny children legs.)

Anyways, it was tight. I was disheartened. It took me a long time to pick them back up and fix them. Which made me realize: knitting has shown me that I’m not a fixer. If it’s broken, who cares? I sure as hell don’t.

So yeah: pattern, super awesome. Yarn, super nice. Together… I think it looks like water. I like it when my knitting comes together like that.

On your toes yet? I am!

I’m in love with these which leads to a very lame post. Knitting needs more angst than just “oh I love you so much knitting, let me tell you how much I love you.” I’m sorry, I’ll try to deliver with like a sweater or a puppet or something.

While we were on vacation we randomly took a trip to Portland. Which was awesome because we got to check out Powell’s Books. A bookstore that’s the size of a whole city block. That’s where I picked up these babies:

Most of which were used. I pretty much confined myself to one room. It wasn’t until we were leaving that I noticed the knitting wing and John and Alison had to reel me back to reality. Speaking of Alison, she was our tour guide for Portland. Which rocked! Because of her we rode the light rail and street cars all over the city.

She also humored us in our tourist need to try Voodoo Doughnuts. They are to doughnuts what Jeni’s is to ice cream. So if that question comes up on the SAT you know the answer.

Don’t they all look deliciously weird? It was a great side trip to a fun trip in general. Both me and John enjoyed Portland a lot, even though he was starting to get the flu. Which, if you’re keeping score that makes him 2 for 2 on getting sick on vacation this year.

Anyways, Portland is fun, donuts are awesome and I could have spent a whole week just browsing at Powell’s.

I think the next place we want to travel to is Texas. What do you guys think?