Julie Powell Rocks My World

Waaaay back in 2002, I somehow stumbled across The Julie/Julia Project, an early blog about a NY government worker named Julie Powell who had decided to cook every recipe in Julia Child's classic, "Mastering The Art of French Cooking" in one year. A formidable task.

Julie blogged her adventures for all the world to see, and after God knows how many pounds of butter, she accomplished her goal. I think Julie Powell has an amazing writing voice. Her posts are so vivid that I felt like I was there, in her tiny outer-borough kithen, at 3 in the morning when the @*#&$^! souffle wouldn't rise. You can just feel the mania and panic this woman experienced! I HIGHLY recommend clicking your way through all the posts some time when you need some entertainment- I don't know when I've ever laughed so hard.

Well, Julie got herself a book deal out of the blog, which she absolutely deserved. And I have in my hot little hands a brand new copy of the book.

The problem? I can't bring myself to open it. I'm afraid that the fabulous, honest, psycho Julie voice from the blog has been finnessed away by the no doubt excellent editing staff over at Little & Brown.

When I overcome this irrational impediment, I'll be sure to let you know what I think. In the mean time, I'm curling up with my other favorite blogger-turned-author, Stephanie Pearl Mc-Phee, aka The Yarn Harlot's new bookbookbook. It's FABULOUS.

Finished Misty Garden

I finished my Misty Garden this weekend! I love it, but I think this one will probably be a gift....



Pattern: Misty Garden from Scarf Style
Yarn: Painted Xian by Textiles a Manos: 50/50 Silk/Merino blend. 1 skein (~250 yards?)
Needles: Susan Bates Aluminum size 8s.
Verdict: Love it!

A couple more views:

WIPs and my Halloween Costume

Finally- Pictures!

Here's the Misty Garden scarf in progress from Scarf Style-


The colors are pretty accurate- it's not as lavendary as I originally thought, which is a good thing. I like the bright orangey pink thing. Wish there was a bit more red, but oh well!

And the first finished Flora:


This one turned out really well. The flower is too floppy (my fault- knit it too loose). I've got a couple ideas on how to make it work. The yellow flower button is temporary- Mom wants something off white- but you get the idea. This is a great pattern.

Other than that, nothing to report. Today is going to be a long day- school, work, school, work, happy hour/goodbye party for a coworker moving to Vermont, then a memorial service for a classmate who passed away last week.

Oh yeah, almost forgot. The Law School Halloween party was last weekend, and it was a blast. My favorite costumes were Law School Barbie and Cruella DeVille. I went as Miss Texas- worked my accent to the max- and had a really good time. Meg, this is for you:

a new obsession

i love my new ipod nano! it's all i can think about! deep thoughts that have occurred since opening the package (in no particular order):

• it's so small! so sleek!
  
• i should knit it a cozy! (done- it's so small! went so fast!)
  
• my music sounds so much better on shuffle!
  
• i need to buy more cds.
  
• i need to figure out how to read con law and listen to they might be giants at the same time (songs with words and cases with words don't work so well for me...)
  
• i wish i could give c a big thank you smackeroo!
  
• i've wasted an entire evening of homework time farting around with my new shiny toy and will therefore be totally unprepared for tomorrow's con law class. YAY!
  
• i should learn more about podcasts. so i can listen to them in all my vast amount of free time. yeah.
  
• holy crap, i didn't know i had that madonna album. yikes.
  
• i'm going to have to be careful to ensure that i don't sing along outloud while listening, especially at work or in the library. that would be, like, really embarrassing and stuff. it's bad enough that i do it in the car. and i'm loud. must work on using my inside voice while accompanying barenaked ladies....
  

Holeee Crap

I got a package in the mail today. I haven't ordered anything recently, so I was suprised.

Inside was an iPod Nano 4G. I can't load pictures right now for some reason, but you know what it looks like so who needs one?

And the back is inscribed. Very lovely.

Wowza. He's pretty darn special, if I do say so myself.

Thank you, Mr. C! I love you too!

Knit Knit Knit Con law Knit

Saturday was absolutely gorgeous. Meg and Rebecca and I met up at the Zoo for a little al fresco knitting. It was perfect! We'll have to do it again with more notice so more people can join us. It was cool.

I started another scarf- have I told you this already? I'm using the Textiles A Manos painted Xian I got over the summer to make the Misty Garden scarf from Scarf Style. I like this pattern- basic feather and fan- because every 4th row is knitted instead of purled- just enough garter to make the scarf lie flat, unlike the chevron scarf in Last Minute Knitted Gifts. And the yarn is gorgeous. Yeah, yeah, pictures. If I ever get home before dark, I'll take some.

There are some nifty new knitalongs.... I'm thinking of joining Stashbusters, since I am drowning in yarn. And there's an International Scarf Exchange that looks kinda cool. I've realized that my knitting time is too unpredictable for me to really commit to making something for someone else on a deadline, so I will probably pass. But it looks cool!

Did I mention that my SockaPalTwoZa pal, Danielle, owns Knitique, a yarn boutique in Sacramento? HOW COOL IS THAT?!?!? If anyone is in the area, stop by, spend some money, and tell her I said hello!!! I should get my hiney to CA to visit my brother in Pasadena, a college girlfriend in LA, and Danielle in Sacramento!

It must be time for bed because I'm using so many freaking exclamation points!!!!! Goodnight!

1.5 Floras

Well, I knit like mad again this weekend. I finished one flora and completed the scarf part of a second flora. The first has already been claimed by Mom- it just needs a button. The second is probably for me...

Kate Kuckro, author of this fabulous little pattern, put an explanation of the twisted loop stitch up on her blog, and it was REALLY HELPFUL.

This is a great pattern- I see at least one more of these in my future... It's fast, cute, great stashbuster- good gift material. And in case you haven't noticed, there are only 68 days until Christmas (scroll down.) I think it might be time for a support call to 1-877-SOS-KNIT.

HAPPY FEET!

I got my SockaPalTwoZa Socks today!!!! Thank you Danielle!!!

They are GORGEOUS, they FIT PERFECTLY, and they are MY COLORS. YIPPEEEEE!!



The yarn is ArtYarns in a pattern by a designer from Danielle's area- Diamante is the pattern name. It is FABULOUSLY lacy. I tried to knit myself a pair of lace socks once and failed so miserably I had to throw them away. Danielle, I will treasure these.



And, KC approves:



Poor Danielle finished the socks on time, but one escaped to a hiding spot behind a hotel room bed during her sister's 9/17 wedding- she had to know a WHOLE OTHER SOCK! What a trooper! And if that wasn't enough, she sacrificed and sent this GORGEOUS HANK of Schaffer Anne sock yarn. I don't deserve such goodness...



Danielle, THANK YOU. My handknit sock collection has just doubled from one pair to two, and I LOVE THESE. Can I use any more CAPITAL LETTERS or EXCLAMATION POINTS? I DON'T THINK SO!!!!!

Whew.

This has already been a really hectic week. I've got a few minutes of down time and am REALLY enjoying it. This won't last long- 5:00 today at the latest. I'm sort of expecting the world to explode again any minute...

Spent some quality time last night, after getting off work at 7:00, with my ball winder and swift. I wound up the incredible Pima Cotton I got at Good Fibrations this summer and the (no picture) beautiful Painted Xian 50/50 wool silk in pinks/reds/oranges from Textiles A Manos. Yummy. I am so sad they weren't at the Taos Wool Festival- I was ready to blow more cash there. Ah well.

I cast on for Flora last night. I'm using the incredible pima cotton yarn. It's like knitting a cloud with a cloud. The yarn is really loosely spun (if spun at all) organic pima cotton wrapped with a really fine thread to hold it all together. Interesting construction. Creamy white. Lousy stitch definition, but that doesn't matter for this project, so I don't care. It. Is. So. SOOOOOFT.

Not sure yet what the Xian is going to be when it grows up...

What I Did On My Fall Break

Knit.



(Ok, so this was actually done before fall break, but I never got around to showing you my ruffle scarf!!!)

Knit.



Yup, finished Mom's mittens, and they're not as bad as I expected....

Knit.



Yup, I reknit all the *@&#O&@ trim on the sweater-formerly-known-as-the-biker-jacket. It's still not right, but it's better. Still needs some work.

Knit.



My law school friend Katie had her first baby today- Welcome Thomas! I made an itty bitty hat to keep his itty bitty head warm. I hope he likes it. Mom and Baby are doing well. Yay! The hat is Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino, basic pattern from Ann Budd's Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns, with the heart chart from Knitty's CheesyLove sweater. Love it.

It is AMAZING how much knitting I can get done when I don't have to read 100 pages of material every night! I did do some school work- got caught up in one class, which was much needed.

Oooh!

Just got an e-mail from the Queen of SockaPalTwoZa- apparently my socks are finished.... Hopefully they're actually on their way...

I have been checking the mail box every day in hopes of a sock-filled package... It's getting cold here and I REALLY wanta a pair!

Saturday Funnies.

I've been seeing posts about 1-877-S0S-KNIT on other people's websites, and I finally got around to calling today.

Stop whatever you are doing, and call now. This is very very funny stuff.

Mr. C., call and press 3. Do it now, and follow the instructions from the voice on the other end of the phone.

AY Carumba

Did I mention that I got outed as a knit blogger during one of my job interviews? It seems like it was an accident, but the net result is that these people know about- and have visited- this blog. And they still decided to make me an offer! Whew! It was actually pretty funny. The Chair of the Recruiting Committee called last night and said, "Hi Jenny, this is So and So from Such and Such Law Firm. I wanted to know what you're going to do about those mittens..." I LOVE that these people have a sense of humor. Even if I feel like a big dork.

Anyway, I finished the body of Mom's spastic mitten last night, and am hoping to get the thumb done today. The second mitten isn't as big as feared, and they actually look identical when she has them on. I don't want these to be the mittens only a mother could love, but she insists they're fine and refuses to let me rip and reknit...

I went stashdiving last night to figure out what to work on next. My best law school buddy is due with her first child TODAY, and I have 3 balls of beautiful blue Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino laying around. I was going to make socks for me, but I might make something for the babe. Unless the babe is a girl, in which case I'll dig out something a little more feminine...
I also pulled out my pink/red/orange variegated Painted Xian from Textiles A Manos- it's a DK weight 50/50 silk/wool blend. My LORD, this stuff is amazing. I'm thinking about making Flora out of the Xian held with a strand of Rowan Kidsilk Haze that I bought in a fabulous shade of orange... That sill leaves me a ball of the Kisilk Crack, I mean Haze, to make a long Airy Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts....

Thoughts?

Another one bites the dust....

I finished the alpaca ruffly scarf tonight. I washed it and it's now in the process of drying. The scarf is made out of 3 balls of Misti Alpaca Worsted in a fabulous plummy color. When it hit the water, the yarn really bloomed- much fuzzier and softer. Can't wait to see what it looks like when dried!

Pictures tomorrow!

That means I'm down to 3 projects:

• Mom's spastic fair isle mittens. These are up next--plan is to finish the gargantuan second mitten, see how bad it looks next to the first mitten, then reknit the first mitten. Sigh.
  
• The Hourglass Sweater from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. Pakucho Organic Cotton. Really soft, I'll probably love it, but what if it shrinks all wrong in the length? I'm thinking about ripping this...
  
• My Biker Jacket. I ripped the zipper and all the trip off during my spring semester finals because it looked like crap and I was never going to wear it. So now I need to figure out what to do to make this wearable... this might be up after the mittens....
  

Finally Final Finished Object!

While we were in Taos, Meg asked whatever happened to my Mitered Square Rug....

I felt so bad about abandoning it all those months ago that I pulled it out, finished weaving in all the 8,234 ends, and single-crocheted a border. It's still a little lumpy, but I like it!



Best part? It's DONE!

This has sparked a surpising bout of monogamous knitting- must be because it feels so good to finish something... I'm about a third of a ball of yarn away from finishing my ruffle scarf...

You Know You're Getting Old When....

When I was in high school, there were several days where I would look down and realize that everything I was wearing came from the Gap. Mostly sale rack purchases, natch, but all from the Gap, head to toe.

I've had the same realizations several days recently, except everything I'm wearing is from Ann Taylor. Again, mostly sale items, but head to toe Ann Taylor.

It's a weird feeling.

I wonder what my store of choice will be in another 12 years?

Miscellany

Still no sign of the sockapaltwoza socks. I hope everything is OK there...

I have "Video Killed the Radio Star" stuck in my head. It's been there since Friday morning.

Job interviews are going well.

It's FALL! We've had cool, rainy weather all day. YAY, FALL.

Balloon Fiesta is Cool

The Balloon Fiesta is going on this week. Today's weather is overcast with low clouds. I really enjoyed my drive to school, watching a gigantic pink pig-shaped balloon dipping in and out of the fog.... Only in New Mexico!

Ah, Taos.

Knitter's Review has a great summary of the Taos Wool Festival. It really was good. Next trip, I have to check out La Lana Wools. I would add Taos Sunflower Yarns to her list of yarn stores- fantastic shop.

That's all I have time for today, folks!

Brain Cramp

I was going to post sheepy/goatey/angora rabbity/alpacay pictures today, but really, who cares?

I have a massive headache. Allergies? Job interview process? Weaving in ends on my STILL UNFINISHED mitred square rug? (Will be finished this week- watch for it!)

But I have fabulous yarny goodness surrounding me, so maybe I'll take an aspirin and weave in a few more ends on that *@&#^(#! rug....

Taos Wool Festival, Part II: Yarny Goodness.

Meg and I had a fantastic time at the Taos Wool Festival. We left Albuquerque Friday night after a wonderful Chinese meal and drove up to Taos. We stayed at the Kachina Best Western Inn, which was pretty cool. Very vintage, pretty grounds, but paper thin walks. Fortunatly our neighbors were NOT feeling frisky...

We woke up early Saturday morning, primped, and headed to Michael's Kitchen for breakfast. MMMM. Love Michael's. We strolled in to Kit Carson Park right as the vendors opened up.

And it's a good thing we did, because Brooks Fiber was PACKED, and looked like it had been looted by our second visit around 11:00.

Looking around the booth, you can see why:



Yeah. I got some stuff here. Most of it was even on SALE. Lawd, I love this stuff.

I also spent a lot at Carol Mullen's. She's retiring, so you can't get any more! It's really a shame- she has fantastic color sense. Her booth also looked like it had been raided, and you would NOT believe the lines to get in... She had Mountain Colors hanging on the walls...



And her own stuff on the table. YUMMY.



Lezlie King, who I rapsodized about after seeing her stuff at the Fiber Fiesta, was there with her fabulous natural color dyed yarns.





I didn't even get pictures of the place where I bought gorgeous hand dyed sport weight sock yarn! Like these other booths, they were a mob scene.

Galina Khmeleva of Skaska Designs had absolutely stunning lace and lace weight yarns. Serious lace- like thinner than dental floss, and lots of size 0000 knitting needles. I am convinced that this booth inspires the most awestruck cussing of any thing I have ever seen. It's impressive.

I didn't make it back to Interlacements, which makes me sad. They were right next to the Vortex otherwise known as Brooks Fiber.

Part of what makes Taos so wonderful is that it's mostly small, independent animal growers, spinners, and color artists. There were some fabulous, fabulous one of a kind items there. There was also a lot of really horrible, horrible felted stuff. Not my style at all. No offense to those who dig it, but there's some BAD felting happening in this world right now. Yikes.

All in all, this was a fabulous show, and I'm planning on going back next year. I will definitely go up the night before, because otherwise you miss all the good stuff at the great vendors, like Brooks. It was pretty picked over by noon.
knitting

Taos Wool Festival, Part I: The Haul

Oh good Lord. I blew my wad of cash three times over at Taos, and it was worth every single penny. I'm fondling my purchases and am dreaming of what to make of each treasure.

For the first time ever, my stash enhancement requires a knitting section and a spinning section.

Here's an overview (click to make bigger, and ignore the Constitutional Law book lurking ominously in the upper right corner....):



Knitting Goodies:





Starting in the Top Right, then going clockwise:

• Knitting Vintage Socks: New Twists on Classic Patterns, by Nancy Bush. First purchase of the day.
  
• 2 skeins (1000 yards) of Brooks Farm Primero 100% Kid Mohair in fabulous browns and blues. Like buttah. AND it was on SALE. Booyeah!
  
• 1 skein (500 yards) of Brooks Farm Duet 55% Kid Mohair and 45% Fine Wool in amazing shades of red.
  
• A handknit hat in shades of Teal from Carol Mullen, who, sadly for the fiber world, is retiring this year.
  
• Two skeins (~500 yards) of heavy worsted wool in oranges and blues. Really spectactular stuff.
  
• Two Skeins (400 yards each) of Plain & Fancy Sheep & Wool Co. Single Sport, which will become two fabulous pairs of socks. One is a lovely minty green and the other is peach/orange/yellow sherberty colored.

And now for the spinning haul:



Starting with the big red blob and working down clockwise:

• A ton of Carol Mullen's handdyed Corriedale Roving, and it was CHEAP.
  
• A walnut niddy noddy from Magpie Wood Works. Holy cow, this guy is amazing. The wood is so. SOFT.
  
• A mid-whorl walnut spindle, also from Magpie Wood Works. I went to visit this spindle four times before I finally broke down and bought it. The wood is so soft- it's absolutely amazing. And it makes me feel like I can spin!
  
• An ounce of white angora rabbit roving- ha! I can't even pretend like I'll ever be able to spin this.
  
• The white blob is about 3/4 of an ounce of plain white corriedale roving from a sheep named "Nicholas." The first roving I bought, and when I bought it I honestly thought it would be the only roving I was going to buy. HA. I am absolutely in love with Nicholas- the wool makes me feel like I actually have a chance at spinning- the fibers slide and move and spin up the way it seems like they're supposed to. I should call this vendor and buy up the rest of Nicholas's bounty!!!!
  
• Last but not least, a ton of roving from Fiber Fanatic (Laura Easterling). The colorway is "Crayola" and it is actually brighter in person than in the picture. I know. Scary.
  

Yes, friends, it was a very, very good day in Taos.