The sound of our voices made us forget everything that had ever hurt our feelings.

Finally seamed the sides of the Rambling Rose Cardigan last night, after a self-pep talk and a glass of wine. I've been avoiding it because not only do I hate seaming, I've never sewn a seam in reverse stockinette and therefore must completely suck at it.


Suprisingly, it turned out better than most of my seams do! Isn't it great to find out you can do something you thought you couldn't? I'm so stoked, I'm even ready to tackle the short rows on top. I'm trying like hell to get this thing knocked out soon, because I don't really want to have the guilt that comes with another six-month sweater like the No-Name Cardigan. I've set a deadline of June 25th, three months after I started it. Somehow I'm hoping to get my skirt done in the same time, but I think that might just be wishful thinking. Either way, one of these things will be getting worn to various weddings in August.



Subsequently, this means that I've unfortunately hit the age where summer = wedding season.*


I've also been putting my new planter boxes to good use, and have even added another hanging basket. I'm determined to get as much use out of what little space I have, lack of sunlight be damned. The emphasis so far has been basil and mint. Three (maybe four) varieties of basil, with an additional lime basil in the tiny seed greenhouse I started last week, and another three of mint. Two are just for smell, as I'm not sure what use I really have for chocolate or ginger mint, but the "mint julep" plant will definetely be put to work this summer.


As small as these little things are, I find that minor things like filling my tiny patio with plants and making myself a kickass dinner like the grilled mahi mahi I had last night are really my bread and butter, morale-wise. It means that no matter how evil and frustrating and downright fucking annoying the outside world is, I can come home to a place where we do what we like and like what we do.

*Don't get me wrong, I like weddings. I'm just not too fond of having to ready myself for the barrage of questions and criticism about mine and Eric's unmarried and unengaged status.

No stashing for Jilly.

I am kicking myself for not budgeting for NW Handspun Yarns Mother's Day Sale. 20% off everything? Why oh why does it have to be this weekend? So instead, I've been focusing on the great things about the last few days.

Some favorite things of today:

• Potato Bread Rolls from BreadFarm. I made it to the farmer's market too late to get a loaf yesterday, but the rolls are just the perfect portion of potato bread-y goodness.


• The new yarn I spun Friday night. I had picked up four or so coordinating colors of New Zealand wool last time I was at NW Handspun, so I divided each color in half (so that I can possibly get two skeins that are similar in pattern) and spun each color in succession, throwing some reddish orange I already had in for smooth transitions. I'm calling it my Noro KnockOff.


• The sun is, if not shining, atleast making an effort. That's about all one can ask for in Northwest Washington, especially after last night's torrential downpour.


• Basil plants, ready for the repotting.
• Yarn from the lovely girls at Spin Cycle. I picked up a hank of Rusted Rainbow to test out gauge. The bad news: It's not going to work for Knitty's Cathode, like I'd been deluding myself into. I probably should have read the patter first. The good news: I love it so much I'm definetely going to be making a sweater out of it anyway.
• The Manos del Uruguay hat I managed to make in one slow day at work. A bit big, since I just cast on and went to town, but it should felt down a tiny bit and be perfect for this cold spring that won't seem to end.
• Listening to a ska album from about five years ago that I loved, but had since forgotten about. (for those interested, it's Catch 22--Keasbey Nights.)
• Getting to spend Mother's Day with my mommy. We're going to dinner tonight for prime rib and giant hunks of chocolate cake. She won't be getting her present until tomorrow though, because I haven't had time to pick it up. She asked for a candy thermometer, a specific one that she found at Target, and I haven't had the time and sanity required to brave the mall. So she'll be getting it tomorrow.

Man, I am one lucky girl if I have that many things to be happy about!

Happy Wednesday.

The only pictures I can ever seem to get of Gus are when I'm holding a treat in my hand, which is why they always feature him sitting, trying to look his most obedient and sweet. Otherwise, they all either come out with him looking the other way at something, or (90% of the time) as a giant blur because he's hyperactive and can't sit still for more than two and a half seconds.

I was just trying to capture the post-bath cuteness. He tends to get all fluffy.

I'm thinking of getting him a tiny blue t-shirt and making him the unofficial mascot of Eric's softball team, the UltraSonics. (By the way, the name has absolutely nothing to do with the soon-to-be-not-in-Seattle Sonics, and everything to do with the company he works for. They do ultrasonic testing, go figure.) I scoped out the first game tonight, and it looks like dogs are totally cool to come to games.

As for tonight's game, it was pretty fun despite the fact that they got their butts handed to them. After a while, I lost track of the final score, but that's probably for the best. Fact is, it wasn't pretty. In the UltraSonics defense, everybody on the team is currently on 60-hour work schedules and full team practices have been impossible to come by. Nonetheless, I have hope for next week.

The only real drawback, other than watching the team get stomped? Bellingham's experiencing a pretty cold spring, one that has even included snow, as documented by Steph. By the end of the game, even with three layers, my fingers and toes were still pretty numb.

Although IT SHOULDN'T BE THIS FUCKING COLD, I knew exactly what to do. Which is why, despite my resolution to finish some projects before I start any new ones, I'm halfway through the first in a pair of new armwarmers. Pretty simple-- 2x2 rib cuff, stockinette for about an inch and a half, and for slightly added warmth at the pulse point, with maybe a bit of visual interest given Noro's color changes, a two-row combo:

Row 1: sl1, k1

Row 2: k1, sl1

Herringbone without the double stranding. Next Wednesday's game is gonna be sweet. You know, assuming we fix our issues at first base and start hitting towards the gap.

We won't stop until somebody calls the cops

The borrowed spinning wheel is looming, staring at me, waiting for me to finish my spinning homework. I think I know what I'm going to be doing with atleast part of my Sunday. I've still got a bit to get done before my next class on Monday. Thusfar I've really enjoyed spinning, but hanging out with friends I haven't seen much trumped sitting in my room. It's almost embarrasing to realize you've barely talked to people that live less than 30 yards away from you.

Yesterday pretty productive, as far as days off go. I got pictures taken of last weekends dyeing experiments. I'm pretty happy with most of those-- I tested out frosting colors in earnest (the first time was kind of half-assed and didn't go well at all) and "overdyed" some less-than-spectacular Kool Aid yarn. I also found that I LOVE Ashford's purple dye, despite it not really being purple. I'm hoping I have enough left to dye up a sweater's worth of yarn. I'm thinking it might lend itself to a Wicked sweater, or atleast something wicked-esque.

I also got the front of Baby's First Tattoo pinned up and set aside, and the back is about done with just a few decreases left before it gets set aside for sleeves. With any luck, this thing might be done while Wyatt is still small enough to wear it! (Then again, I cheated and started knitting the 1 year old size for my five month old brother.)

Now if I can just fortify myself long enough to finish Rambling Rose, I'll be set!

Another one bites the dust...

Mom's tea cozy is finally done, though I'm pretty embarrased that it took me this long. All the darn thing needed was a drawstring. So a little Plymouth Happy Feet and two feet of i-cord later, it now resides in its rightful place on my mom's little teapot (it's only a three or four cupper.)

....which makes me think a progress check is in order. To revisit the previous list, I had:



-one finished sock with no match make that three socks needing matches

-one knee sock that's pretty much only a legwarmer at the moment I've decided I wasn't too fond of my wierd attempt at calf shaping, and wouldn't be able to recreate it for the second sock even if I liked it, so this one's being ripped out. It took seeing it on a list for me to finally bite the bullet and admit defeat.

-a cardigan that's missing a sleeve and buttons-- I got about halfway through the second sleeve last night, so this one could be ready for blocking soon.

-a pullover that actually has two sleeves but still needs to be sewn up

-tea cozy without the drawstring required to cozy it up Done!

-a mitten without a thumb

-a blanket that's currently about the size of two place mats and

-a scarf that is about 5 feet too short--- Still about four and a half feet to go



Looking at it like that, I actually start to feel like I might have accomplished something. However, is it enough to justify the fact that I'm swatching for yet another new project?

At long last, I finally got to update my ravelry and flickr accounts. I've been meaning to add pictures to my projects for some time now. It sounds silly, but it helps me feel like I've actually accomplished something recently to see it in list/thumbnail format.

I took a break from Christmas project knitting by doing some other knitting last night. I swatched for The Spencer Jacket from Fitted Knits, but still haven't quite gotten gauge yet. I also started in on the Little Sky Sock, and so far it seems to be making sense!

For now, it's back to the Christmas grind-- time to recast on the Pirate Mittens (my gauge got way too tight and they had to be frogged) , start the tea cozy, dye some sock yarn and make some rice! (I made curry.)

Gotta say, I'm a little dumbfounded.

This is my dog:



This is the most recent thing he managed to get a hold of and chew up:




um.....yeah.

In other news, the first Monkey sock is done! Woohoo!

No time for a real post, but since I only just wanted to post the photos that accompany my last couple of posts, I don't feel too bad.

E modelling the Tube Sock Scarf

Very blurry (it moves fast) and very big ball of roving!

The fruits of my labor-- my handspuns so far. The one on the left was done when I had been spinning for about three days and was trying to ply for the first time. I think things have gotten a lot more consistent since then. The bottom hank is from the Purple Haze ball.

The newest project, a purse. I started on it last night during Whiskey Night with Mike and Jen. It's almost but not completely in the round, since I didn't have a circular short enough. I decided to just make it with one seam up the side. I'm not entirely sure how it's going to play out yet, since I'm just kind of making it up as I go along, but it will atleast be an interesting project!

Now where the heck do I put it all?

So when I say I went to town with the whole stash-building thing, I meant it---



Click on picture to see details about what the heck all those yarns are.

Two of this, three of that. Oh, you only have one left? Don't worry, I'll take it!


Bells had it right that I'm a yarn store owner's dream. While everyone else is busting their stash, I'm buying up oddballs like it's going out of style! So now I've got a ton of yarn for a bunch of little things. On the upside, I didn't really have much of a stash too begin with, so now I can atleast relate a little to those gals with yarn closets (or even, dare I say, yarn rooms!)



As mentioned, I also finished the slightly-short-kinda-stripey-cable-keyhole scarf, with the exception of blocking and weaving in ends. I don't know that it really needs to be blocked, but frankly I could use the practice and I think that cable pattern could benefit from it.

Full-size photo when it's all finished. As for now, the goal is to take a shower and go out, with the hopes of procuring lavender, more roving, and something to make for dinner tonight. I'm thinking I might do spinach lasagna....

Bundle up!

It's frozen in Bellingham.

The view outside my window. The tall building is formerly City Hall but now serves as a museum. If you look next to it, you can just barely see the bay. The lack of buildings or scenery, however, makes for some amazing sunsets.

Yahoo lists our current temperature at 20 degrees, and all the snow we got last night has since frozen solid. When it started snowing last night, my inner island girl got excited. Growing up in Hawaii/San Diego/Florida, I didn't see snow until I was almost 13, so I still haven't had a chance to get sick of it.

On the other hand, the big girl voice in my head so oh crap, you might actually have to drive in it this time. I managed to get out of it during the last snow storm two months ago making E drive everywhere. This time, because of schedules, I actually have to get on the road myself. Thusfar I seem to be doing okay. I've made it to work and back twice with nary an incident.

It's really wierd to see all of this white wind whipping over the ground. Makes me think of Antartica or something, not plain old Bellingham. Luckily the boiler for our building didn't freeze this time, it's not so fun without heat.

The cold weather did give me the opportunity (like I need one) to spin some more. I had picked up some new roving from my LYS to continue spinning. Still mostly New Zealand wool, but I also picked up an ounce of a merino/silk blend to treat myself.

I know they say 100% wool is good for beginners, but I had such an easier time with the blend! The slippery-ness that I was warned about actually helps me draft more evenly. It wound up beautifully and felt so soft!

That said, I am starting to get a tiny bit better with spinning pure wool. I tried switching colors while spinning with much better results. That tightly wound little ball in my hand starts out orange but gives way to an orangey gold, a reddish color, and eventually a bright pink in the center. In fact, neither picture shows how pretty the colors actually are. The folks at NW Handspun sure do carry some pretty-colored stock! I'm still trying to figure out how to avoid overspinning without my yarn falling completely apart. Right now I seem to be at one extreme or the other.

I'm gonna go crawl back under my blankets until it's time for me to go to work.

And the day's not over!

My day in pictures:

I started off by throwing on my new t-shirt from Anthropologie. I love the pretty leaf image and the oh-so-soft organic cotton. It feels like I've owned it for ten years!

I managed to get a bit more spinning done. I kept telling myself to put it down so I could run errands, but the roving kept call me. I'm finding that I'm starting to be able to draft and spin at the same time. Up until now, it's been the "spin and park" method all the time. It does however mean that I drop the spindle a lot more.

Even though they didn't strike me as particularly Christmas-y, I bought these giant sparkly feather ornaments this year for our tree. Now that I'm taking it apart, it occurs to me that there's gotta be something fun I can do with them the rest of the year. I'm thinking maybe as part of a walll or table decoration....

Per my list, I made it to the yarn store, the bead store, and the book store and picked up all kinds of things. The only thing I came up empty on was lavender, but woman I talked to reminded me that my favorite tea shop carries bulk lavender. Why I didn't think of that before is beyond me and the tea shop is a lot easier to find than the mysterious lavender place with the unknown name. After today, though, there will be a moratorium on buying new knitting books until I actually knit something from one of them.

Although the girl at the yarn store looked at me funny, there's a reason I carry these two books everywhere I go. One is my new planner, the other is stitch-n-bitch knitting journal that has notes on my yarn stash, including dye lots. I now have the exact yarn I needed to finish Carly's mittens, including the correct dye lot, and just might be able to get them done by the time she gets to town on Saturday!

There was also hummus and a trip to the Black Drop involved, but no pictures. It should however be noted that it was somn damn good hummus.



As for now, the plan is to finish taking the tree apart so E and I can haul it downstairs, tidy up my living room and possibly have some friends over for dinner. In my adventures today, I walked past one of my favorite italian restaurants and the smell coming from inside made tonight's dinner menu abundantly clear-- cheese tortellini with veggie marinara, garlic cheese bread, and a choose-your-adventure salad*.

But enough rambling. If I'm going to get all this done AND run to JoAnn Fabrics, I'd better get crackin'!

*choose your adventure salad-- the basic salad is there, but condiments are up to you. I plan to use a tiny bit of italian dressing, craisins, feta, and some crunched-up pecans. E leans more towards bacon bits and shredded cheddar.

And so it begins...

I decided to start one of my knitting goals early, so I just got home with this:

(New Zealand roving and an Ashford drop spindle)

and this:

(cambric from The Black Drop)

The spinning is ready to commence!

In other news, the Bellingham Parks and Rec. has been giving horse-drawn carriage rides downtown for the last 10 days. They've been going past my apartment about every thirity minutes or so. And they tell me living downtown doesn't put me in contact with nature-- we have trees AND horses! Next time they jingle past I might try to snap a picture.

And finally, I've realized that if someone were to judge me solely by what is on top of my dresser, I'd look like kind of a badass, or atleast someone into punk and rockabilly. (which I am. The music part, not the badass part.)

(clockwise from left: two Zippo lighters, the flask belt buckle E got me for Christmas, dice from my dice necklace in with all the change, girly heart-shaped candle, and an International Playboys pin. Oh yeah, and there's a stray knitting needle leaning up in the background.)