Living/Dining Room

For months after we moved in, this room was completely empty. (Well, empty aside from the empty boxes and old furniture I was trying to sell on craigslist.) I tend to have a very exact picture of the furniture I want, and have a totally unrealistic price I want to pay for it. But, we now have a couch (bought on sale!), a table (on sale!), a side table and lamp, and chairs ($20 on craigslist, but still need to be painted). The "coffee table" is two of the $13 tables from Ikea, acting as a stand-in until we can get a real table. I like this one from Pottery Barn, but not for $400.

We also need a chair, and I like this one from Room and Board, but once again, I'm not paying more for a chair than we paid for the whole couch.See the nook over by the door? Ideally I'd like a bench, to make sort of a foyer/entrance area. Then I would like the furniture fairy to pay for it and deliver it to the house for free.

New Projects

Because I currently have 4 work-in-progress knitting projects, 2 unfinished quilts, and 11 library books to finish, I thought the most obvious thing to do was to start a few more projects.

(1) I have decided to participate in the Pinwheel Sampler Quilt quilt along (links to individual blocks are on the sidebar), hosted by P.S. i quilt. I love pinwheel quilt blocks, and that someone else will be doing all the math for me! This will also be a good opportunity to use up a lot of fabric scraps. [Also check out the flickr pool.]

I already completed the first 2 blocks (there will be 16 for the quilt along, but I think I'm going to make a total of 25 for a larger quilt.) You can see them hanging on the wall above my new sewing table! My previous table was only large enough for my sewing machine, and so I still had to get down on the floor to cut anything. Now, I have ample space to both cut and sew without crouching down on the cold basement floor. Thanks, craigslist guy who was moving to Norway the next day and sold me your Ikea desk for super cheap [even if you took it apart wrong and now I have extra hardware].

(2) In 2008, one of my reading goals was to tackle the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list (current standing: 69/1001). This year, I've decided to try to read as many books set in different countries as possible. I'm not taking into account the nationality of the author, just the setting of the book. So far, I've visited 7 countries:

3) I did manage to finish one project. These are reusable snack bags that I made using this tutorial. My sister gave me a store-bought bag like these for Christmas, with the stipulation that I copy it and make one for her. She got the brown one, and the other went off to a friend.

I should have stayed in New Mexico

On Tuesday night, a wet snow was falling, coating every tree branch. I was so enchanted that I went outside very close to my bedtime just to take pictures. Ah, snow, I thought, how romantic and beautiful you are.


On Friday, my office was closed as more snow fell. After a nice sleep, I uncharacteristically made breakfast not consisting of cereal. The name of this breakfast is comically difficult to write in a way that doesn't sound like murder or scandalous pregnancy.

I made a Dutch baby. I baked a Dutch baby? I ate a Dutch baby? Whatever; it was SO GOOD and you should make one for yourself immediately, using this recipe.

On Saturday, I was confronted with this:

The next day, after 3 hours of flinging snow onto piles taller than me, we had successfully unearthed 3 vehicles. And there was much rejoicing.

Projected accumulation is 10-20" for the storm coming tomorrow. We had about 30" this weekend, so if we get the maximum we'll have a total of 50" on the ground. I am 58" tall. I will be sure to wear a brightly colored hat so that you can find me.

FO: The Warmest Hat in the World

Ladies and Gentlemen, I have done it. I have created The Warmest Hat in the World. (Don't worry, this isn't like a Highlander "There Can Be Only One" type thing. There are other warm hats out there.) I started with the Thorpe pattern, and then added a star pattern that I made all by my little self. I modified the earflaps as well; the original were a little too Roman gladiator for my taste.

I used 100% wool yarn from Finland - it was gifted to me without a label, so I'm using my powers of animal fiber recognition to guess. But, that wasn't enough - I also lined the hat with fleece. I used TechKnitter's tutorial, which I highly recommend.

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Yesterday I saw a guy standing on a median holding a hand-written cardboard sign that read "Help for Haiti" and a ratty plastic can. I don't know what upsets me more, the fact that someone would use a disaster for his own personal profit, or that some people probably gave him money thinking he really was going to give it to Haiti relief. Yesterday I also saw a bus hit a parked car (which was illegally parked, so they sort of had it coming) and today I saw someone have a seizure at a bus stop. Ah, city life.

Some Things

1. Someone stole my space at the train station yesterday morning, and then someone stole my locker at the gym. By "my" I mean I've been using the same ones for 8 months and therefore the entire DC metropolitan area should be aware and accommodating. You see, I always use locker 6, and if it's taken, I use locker 12. Today I had to use locker 16! Outrage!

2. Our electric bill for this past month was $300, and we weren't even warm! If I had jacked up the heat so that I could lounge in tropical temperatures I could at least comfort myself with the idea that it was worth it. But no, I eat dinner wearing my down coat and wear a hat constantly, even when I sleep. It takes 3 times as long to change my clothes because I have to wear a minimum of 3 layers.

3. The odometer on my car hit 88,888 miles yesterday. It was probably the most exciting thing that happened to me all week. Am I OCD about numbers? I'm so excited that our anniversary will be on 10-20-2010 this year, and I'm so glad my mom carefully planned (not really) to have me on 5-25, because 5 is the square root of 25. My house number is also a palindrome (and see item #1).

4. Twitter. What's up with Twitter? I understand the basic premise, but the whole # @ thing confuses me. I just think it all should be a little bit more organized.

5. I haven't knit anything in 2 weeks. But, this upcoming weekend includes a bonus day off, so the office printer, Ravelry, and I had a little private time this morning before everyone else showed up to work.

Home Improvement: Bedroom

The first time I looked at our house, I knew that I would have to paint this room. The previous owners had good taste in color, but I think they went a little nuts with this green:

And hot pink curtains? I'm not sure how their eyes didn't explode out of their sockets every time they went into this room, but someone they managed to survive living in it with their vision intact.

I painted this room shortly after moving in, before we got the carpet replaced, so I had the luxury of spilling paint wherever I pleased. Here's a "during" shot, after the first coat of primer went up. (Proof that it has to get worse before it gets better)

I do not take responsibility for the leopard print pillow. Before we met, Jason bought several items from the previous owners of his house, and that pillow came with a daybed. The cat became obsessed with it because she obviously has very bad taste.

Here's the after. I stayed with green, but toned it down. See those two closets? They're both mine.

One of these days I'll get around to making a quilt for our bed. But until then, I have more rooms to paint.

Snow Day

How awesome is it that I finished my one knitted Christmas gift back in November, and it has already been delivered, opened, and worn with pride? This is the Strangling Vines Scarf, made from Malabrigo sock for my mother-in-law (I swear the name of the pattern does not reflect my feelings for my mother-in-law. She is a very nice lady. Hi Sharon!)

Two weeks ago it snowed about 4", and was impressed enough to take pictures, having spent the past several years in the desert.

This weekend it snowed 22". This is the most snow I remember seeing ever. I didn't enjoy the hours I spend digging my car out, but I did get a day off from work. Sweet!

Also in the news, my Christmas present should be arriving any day now:

Finished: DROPS Cardigan

Most knitwear designers come up with catchy names for their patterns so that when you say "I just finished my Jaywalkers" or "Look at that great February Lady Sweater" other knitters know what you're talking about. Not so with Garnstudio. They come up with impossible to remember things like "DROPS jacket in 'Eskimo' or 'Silke-Alpaca' with A-shape and ¾-long or long sleeves." (Ravelry link and pattern link) Way to cover all your bases there, guys.

I used Knitpicks Wool of the Andes Bulky, which is 100% wool and super warm, if a little scratchy, as wool can be. I used size 11 needles. This sweater turned out to be an excellent lesson in gauge. I made size L to compensate for my tighter gauge, and it worked out perfectly! I didn't knit the collar as written; it was a little too strangly for my taste. So, I picked up stitches all the way around the back and front pieces, and knit straight until I ran out of yarn (8 inches maybe?) I love the result!

I forgot to make buttonholes as I was knitting, so I crocheted loops for the buttons. One issue I haven't solved yet is how to keep the front piece that is behind the other from bunching up. (Does that make sense? The two sides overlap, so the side that is underneath doesn't have anything forcing it to stay flat.) I need to add a hidden button or snap, but I haven't figured out how to do that without it showing on the outside.

My hydrangea bush is also looking great this fall:

Two Socks

Recently I finished two socks - unfortunately they aren't a pair. I've never had a problem with "second sock syndrome" before, but man, has it hit like the plague. I'm not even feeling motivated to finish these two pairs, I just want to start a new pattern!

First is my Catherine sock. I'm using Knitpicks Essential, which is nice and soft despite its price. We'll see how it holds up to my diabolical machine washing and drying routine.

I also finished one super-sock, which probably has the stitch count of a pair because I'm using size 0 needles. The yarn is Schoeller+Stahl Fortissima Socka Cotton Color. I decided to do a basic toe-up pattern here so that I could use up all of the yarn - I divided the yarn in half and just knit until I ran out.

Also, I took these pictures of my own foot without using a self-timer. Let's just say I have very good balance.

San Francisco

Even though I lived in the southwest for a few years, I never went to California. But I should have, because California is so far away from Maryland. Seriously, I could have gotten to England faster. (It probably didn't help that we stopped in Tampa - which is decidedly not on the way to California - and Austin first, courtesy of the bus that is Southwest airlines.)

So we went to California; more specifically, to San Francisco and Point Reyes National Seashore. We were there for a wedding, and also to sponge off my sister, who lives in the city and provides free car rentals. Alacatraz Island came highly recommended, so I bought tickets in advance. (The park is free-Alacatraz is a National Park site-but, you have to get yourself there. Well played my friends, well played.)

The Park Service really plays up the fact that Alacatraz was one of the most hard-core prisons for the most violent criminals. I thought this notion was rather undermined by the fact that the prison seemed to have a lot of natural light, a library, a great view of the city, and the prisoners got to live in San Francisco for free. Do you know how much rents are in that place? Ok, there might have been some murders, but the tour focused a lot on a prisoner uprising that occured becauase the spaghetti tasted bad. Not exactly hard core in my book.

And, they had views like this:

After Alcatraz, we walked around the Fisherman's Wharf area. Although it was a little too commercial for me, I have to admit that the aroma coming out of Boudin was heavenly. They also have bread that is shaped like stuff - which is pretty impressive, if you have ever tried to make bread yourself. Also, the sea lions were totally awesome:

Sometimes nature freaks me out. Like, there are crazy huge whales that swim around in the ocean, and there are blubbery, slippery sea lions who bark and climb all over each other. I'm not necessarily scared of the animal itself, just blown by the idea that such a creature exists in the world. Don't even get me started on outer space.

The next day we visited the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park, which claims to be "the oldest public Japanese garden in the United States!" I love when things claim to be "The Best" or "The Oldest", but with lots of qualifiers. For example, "the oldest zoo in the northern part of Ohio that also includes giraffes" or "the biggest fish ever caught on a Tuesday by a man with one arm". Here, look at Buddha:

I also visited the Museum of Craft and Folk Art. I say "I" because my sister and husband decided to do the more exciting activities of going to Gap and sitting on a bench, respectively. It was all for the best really, because one small gallery does not a museum make. I saw the "Open Source Embroidery" exhibit, which mostly I didn't get. (And I went to grad school for art history - so that has to say something.) In fact, there were moreinteresting things in the gift shop.

Then, we went to a wedding, during a "wind event". It only served to make the whole affair much more impressive - these people planned their own wedding. And when I say planned, I mean they bought the food and transported it, rented the tables, bought the alchohol, made their own table decorations, and the bride even had time to make some pumpkin bread for the buffet. Any of you readers who have gotten married, you understand how impressive this is. Also, they are tall, and I am not, which is why I'm not showing you any pictures of me, for I look like a garden gnome in them all.

On our last day we drove back to my sister's house, and spent the remainder of our time just enjoying the view from her balcony. I also might have bought some yarn.