Freaky Finishing

I tell ya, this whole unemployed housewife thing is really good for the knitting! Notsogood for the income, but great for feeling like I'm getting SOMETHING done....

In the last week, I've made two baby hats from stash yarn:



This little guy is based on the hat formula in Ann Budd's "The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns," and used up roughly one ball's worth of leftover Lion Brand Microspun. This yarn is incredibly soft, but DANG is it splitty.



This hat is also based on Ann Budd's hat formula, with different decreases at the top. I was going for an elf hat thing, and it didn't quite work out.... Ooops! This one used up leftovers of Manos del Uruguay that were gifted to me when I first started knitting- probably 150 yards worth?

I also finished my Cherry Scarf Redux over the weekend. The scarf itself was finished back in December or January, and I had put off making the pom poms and leaves. Mr. C and I drove to Arkansas so he could referee a game in Fayetteville on Sunday, so I was a captive in the car and had plenty of time to finish this up! I'm so glad I did- now it's done in plenty of time for the recipient's birthday at the end of this month!!!



While the leaves on this one are way better than the one on mine, the stems look kinda spastic.... Oh well!

RIP, Onde Tank

I pulled this lovely out of the trunk of my car yesterday*:



Yep, that's my hideous tank top made out of the Phildar Phil'Onde yarn that was all the rage back in 2004. This may have been the first garment I ever knit, and it shows. I recognized last spring that this tank just didn't work, but didn't rip it out for some reason.

Yesterday I got a bee in my bonnet about this thing and ripped it out. I think I'm going to turn it in to a birthday present/summer sweater of some kind for my niece, who will be three years old in May.

It felt really good to rip this thing out.....

*I'm not sure how this ended up in my trunk- I think I was trying to leave it in my Mom's garage when I moved back to Austin in May, but she must have stuck it in the trunk right before I pulled out.

Haven't You Always Wanted a MonKEY?

Yes, I have succumbed to the recent Cookie A sock pattern madness and started a pair of Monkey socks.

I've had a hard time getting into the pattern. I reworked the numbers so that I don't run in to too-small-sock syndrome, and my math was off the first time. I had to knit the cuff 3 times before I finally got it going. Then I was struggling to knit with my chosen needles (Crystal Palace bamboo 1 dpns), but that went away when I cleaned the needles- the accumulated use-grime was creating too much drag which made the knitting miserable. Now that things are moving along more smoothly, I think I'll enjoy this more....



Picture was taken two days ago- I just finished the leg on the first sock.



It's hard to capture this shade of Trekking- it's much more rich than it appears.

The best in the world

I don't think I ever told you about the Best Matron of Honor Ever, or the Best Bridal Shower Ever that she threw for me.

Katie (my bestest law school bud) hosted a fabulous law school friend shower back in March. We had incredible food, fantastic games, and lingerie galore. Good times. As if that weren't enough, Katie made incredible party favors- a knit hat, complete with appliquéd felt flower, for each of the 20 guests.



Not only did she get a picture of the hats, she got a picture of the guests WEARING their hats!



Yes, Katie is awesome. It was the best, most thoughtful shower ever.

New York (mini) Yarn Crawl

As Meg hinted, we did escape the wilderness one day in search of new yarn. Not like either of us need it, but hey! it's what fiber addict friends who live in different states do whenever they're together!!!

Meg started the trip off perfectly by brining be a skien of Socks That Rock, color Rhodonite, as a thanks-for-spending-a-week-with-me present. As if! Seeing Meg was treat enough!



Our first stop on the yarn crawl was Lonesome Landing in Saranac Lake. Cute town, cute store, cute owner. Things were a little disorganized, but there was interesting yarn, out of print books, and a great deal on Opal sock yarn ($11!!!!) I brought home this darling, after Meg spotted me the cash to make the purchase- if you go to Lonesome Landing, be forewarned that they only accept cash and checks!



Our next stop was Adirondack Yarns in Lake Placid. Cute town, cuter store, cutest staff! I really liked this place- clean, bright, well organized, and you could see everything! There's also an adjoining coffeeshop/bakery with tables and chairs- very nice. We walked in the door approximately 5 minutes after their shipment of Fleece Artist sock yarn came in, so naturally I brought home some of that, too!



I also impulsively bought a ball of subtly varied blue/green merino sock yarn called Sol Joy by Catalina Yarns. It's yummy, and I think it's going to become the Denmark Socks from Nancy Bush's "Knitting On The Road."

One more wedding picture....

We're sorting through pictures to figure out what goes in the album.... I think this is my favorite.



Photo Copyright Ginger Russell.

Ravelry!

I got my invite to Ravelry yesterday! Good stuff. I can see myself spending LOTS of time here in the coming days, weeks, months.... :-)

If you're on, or when you get on, stop by and say hello! I'm "womanobsessed" as always.

WHEEEEE!

Well Rested

Just got back to Austin from my restorative week in the Adirondack Mountains with Meg. It was an incredible time- wonderful to see her, great to get to know her family, and fun to hike around in the mountains.

A few pictures:









I also finished the Embossed Leaves socks! What a fast knit....



Pattern: Embossed Leaves Socks by Mona Schmidt, as printed in "Favorite Socks"
Yarn: Koigu Premium Merino in a gorgeous variegated pale minty green
Needles: Crystal Palace Bamboo #2 DPNS (the short ones)

My own personal madness

I read each and every post January Onewrote about hermadness like I had been infected with mitre fever. The color was absolutely astounding, and all I knew was that I wanted some, too.


Tahki Cotton Classic, with flash and dog paw

Everyone on my side of the family struggles with addictive behaviors. We are all into different stuff, and we all cope with it differently. My stuff comes out in knitting and eating. (Better than drugs, right?)


Tahki Cotton Classic, without flash

I'm ready to start my own personal madness now. I don't have my scheme yet, but am thinking about how I'm going to structure the madness. Cara's post about the rules (in the middle of the post) is kinda what I'm going for- something to give this project structure while letting creativity flow.

FO in Action

After living in a closet since its completion, my mitered square rug has finally found a home in our kitchen!



All our smaller appliances are red Kitchen Aid (love the wedding registry) and we've got red and aqua dish towels. The rug is finally at home!

There's nothing like Koigu in the morning...

Today I cast on for another pair of socks.



Embossed Leaves Socks, from Favorite Socks. Koigu KPM 23521, Brittany Birch size 3 needles.

I know everyone and their dog has made these socks, but I am really excited about making my first pair.

Six month sock, Six day sock

I finally finished a knitted object- I think this is the first of 2007 (gah- can that be true?)

I give you navy blue socks.



Pattern: basic 3x1 rib top down with short row heels and toes.
Yarn: Greenwood Fiberworks, stretchy cotton sock yarn
Needles: size 1 alumninum

The one on the right took six months, the one on the left took six days. The six months were filled with wedding planning, getting married, finishing law school, moving to Texas, studying for and taking the bar exam.... The six days were filled with... knitting. Aaaah, the good life.

I liked working with this yarn, though my tension was not consistent at all. I've never knit with an elasticized cotton before, so I'm sure that's most of the problem.

After kitchnering up the toe this morning, I wound a bunch of yarn for my next two projects. Yay!

And, even BETTER, is that it looks like I get to see MEG soon! WOO HOOOOOOOOO!

Hallelujah!

I survived the bar exam. Damn near had a heart attack on essay day, but managed to live to tell the tale. I know I missed a few things on the essays, and that I fudged answers to a couple of the procedure and evidence questions, but all in all, I feel good. Optimistic even. Too bad I have 93 days until I get the results. Ugh.

Mr. C took me out to dinner on Thursday night, and it was wonderful. Nothing too fancy, just the two of us getting a chance to reconnect after weeks of me being holed up in my office. I was finally able to have a conversation, instead of identifying stupid legal issues that related to things he said. I swear the bar was like first year all over again, when we would run around campus trying to figure out if mom promising to do my laundry during finals constituted a unilateral contract or not.... This test made us all stupid again.

Friday and Saturday were rainy, perfect for spending curled up with Harry Potter. Which is exactly what I did. J.K. Rowling is an incredible storyteller, and the characters are incredibly compelling. Makes me want to reread the entire series. Since I am a Lady of Leisure now, I may do that.

I don't have a job lined up, so my days are more or less free. I'm getting my eyes checked this afternoon for the first time since law school started. I expect a massive change of prescription, as all that reading wreaked havoc on my poor little eyeballs. I'm trying to finish getting unpacked, cleaning this bachelor-ish pad into a more habitable abode. I also need to remove the 10 pounds I gained while studying for the bar (and hopefully a few more) while I search for a job.

Life is good. I'm so glad this dumb test is behind me. Whew!

Still life with book and cat

This is my world these days:





It could be a lot worse, but I am ready for this bar exam to be over.

The good news is: I will be COMPLETELY FREE! FREE AS A BIRD! as of 5:00 pm one week from today.

Hurrah!

This is SO ME!

Cartoon by Dave Walker.

Silence....

This is why you haven't heard from me recently:



I'm struggling to fit 40 pounds worth of material into my brain.

(Not kidding- the box of materials for the Texas Bar weighed 40 pounds! I don't even want to think about how many pages that is!)

You probably won't hear much from me until well after the exam is over- July 26, for those of you keeping score at home.

Preview of professional pictures

Here is a link to the early pictures from our professional photographer. I'm so excited!

The blog will be quiet for a couple weeks as I move, graduate, and go on a honeymoon. Catch you on the flip side!

More

I am knitting a little bit- about to turn the heel on a pair of cotton elastic socks for the new HUSBAND!

Here's a shot of the vows....

Married!

What a weekend!

Here's a quick preview....


I am the happiest, luckiest girl in the universe!

Sky

New Mexico has the most amazing sky.



I took these pictures last August on my way home from visiting Mr. C in Austin.



The sky here is so expansive, and the light is absolutely amazing.



Don't you agree?

The Great Countdown

I intellectually knew, but didn't realize that, when I scheduled a wedding for April 21 I would be setting off a massive chain reaction of life changing events, scheduled roughly one week apart.

Those events?

• Saturday, April 21: Get married.
  
• Saturday, April 28: Finish law school.
  
• Saturday, May 5: Move to Austin, TX.
  
• Saturday, May 12: Graduate from law school. (Followed by an early Sunday morning departure for Le Honeymoon).
  
• Saturday, May 19: Return from honeymoon, pack up car and cat and husband and drive from Albuquerque to Austin.
  
• Monday, May 21: Begin BarBri, studying for the bar exam.
  

.

Yeah, that's some major life change. New Marriage. New Career. New(ish) Town.

I feel like my motto should be:

If you're going to have a nervous breakdown, you might as well make it worth your while.

Actually, the next two months will be very happy, but also bittersweet. I'm looking forward to the adventure of traveling to the other side.

WHEEEEEEE!

I'm horribly.... weird

SHOOT. I am such a horrible blogger that I JUST REALIZED TODAY that fabulous Rebecca tagged me for the six weird things meme on FEBRUARY 26! Sorry Rebecca... You know what a disaster I am these days. :-)

So....
SIX WEIRD THINGS ABOUT ME

1. I get the hiccups any time I get a chill. A breeze in the summer, air conditioning, opening the window in winter.... All cause me to get the hiccups. Violent hiccups. Embarrassingly loud and squeaky hiccups. Been this way since birth.
   
2. I swallow loudly. I don't know what it is, but every time I take a sip, I make a gulping sound. Courtney can hear it when we're on the phone, and he always teases me about it. Apparently I did the same thing as an infant while nursing- my Mom would be on the phone with a friend who couldn't stop herself from asking, "WHAT IS THAT NOISE?"
   
3. Like Rebecca, I used to be a band geek. My Mom was a piano teacher when she was younger, so all three of us kids started off on the piano. I switched to flute in 4th grade when we were allowed to join the band. I went to a music camp every summer (yay Hummingbird Music Camp!) and was even a head counselor for two summers. Best job I ever had.
   
4. I love yarn, but I have a very hard time buying it when I'm by myself. I can wander around Village Wools all day without so much as a flicker of temptation--so long as I'm by myself. Same thing at Hill Country Weavers in Austin- I was there last week with a $50 gift certificate burning a hole in my pocket, but I couldn't commit. Nada. Now send me out into the yarny world with Meg, and it's a whole different story. I had a a little sock yarn incident in Massachusetts last October, and we all remember how bad at Taos in 2005. It took two trips to the Fiber Arts Fiesta in 2005 for me to succomb, but I was with Meg when it happened. I know who NOT to go yarn shopping with when I'm on a yarn diet!!! :-)
   
5. I have the song "I've Got The Sun In The Morning (and The Moon At Night)" from Annie Get Your Gun stuck in my head. It's been there since Monday night. Aurgh. I grew up doing musical theater with a local children's acting school. Was in Gypsy, The Wizard of Oz, The King and I, and at least one or two others that I can't remember right now.
   
6. In spite of the fact that I come across as really outgoing (sometimes loudly and obnoxiously so), I am actually fairly shy. I get nervous around new people and have to try really hard to make myself go beyond my comfort zone to introduce myself or strike up a conversation. Those of you who know me will probably laugh at this because I don't think I come across as shy at all, but it's true!
   

So there you have it, six weird things about me. Now I'm tagging Meg!

Crazy busy

But not with knitting!

Wedding stuff seems never ending, but we're getting there! In the last week my dress arrived (and fits perfectly! woot!), we got our marriage license, met with the flower lady and the church coordinator, had another appointment with the Priest, all the attendants got their dresses, mailed invitations, started getting shower invitations, ordered a veil, shoes, garter, hair pins, scheduled hair and makeup appointments, booked a 1957 Chevy Imperial limo to transport us, met with the caterer and the liquor vendor, helped mom pick a swatch for her dress, visited the reception site to figure out party layout, bought a white purse, and took care of shower attire. Whew! I don't even want to think about all the undone things I don't know to think about yet.

Law school is slow this semester, for a change, but of course the little work I do have seems to all be due on Monday.

This leaves woefully little time for knitting. I'm still working on the cherry scarf for mom, and am also working on some replacement wrist warmers for her (the cashmerino ones were lost in this year's holiday madness). The Tuesday night ladies are working on some really fabulous socks, which makes me want to cast on for some really fabulous socks.... next year?

South Beach Exhaustion

Just got back from an office trip to Miami's South Beach, and it was FABULOUS. Highlights include:

• Evening drinks at The Delano Hotel, super swank and just beautifully designed. The website pictures do no justice- the place is stunning.
  
• Tapas, mojitos, and salsa lessons at Tapas Y Tintos, which feels like a cozy little bar in Spain. Absolutely the best meal of the trip, and watching the young kids dancing was a blast.
  
• Three nights at The Loews Hotel, which was a big hotel right on the beach. We spent lots of quality time in the ocean in the wee hours of the morning. Probably not the smartest move (shark feeding time and portuguese man of war rumors) but it sure was fun.
  
• Goofy office-mate antics, many humorous quotable quotes, and dancing dancing dancing every evening.
  
• And, last but not least, a partner telling me (in a giddy voice) that she and her best friend just signed up for knitting lessons!
  

All in all, a fabulous couple of days. Now it's time for my fabulous booty to catch up on some MUCH NEEDED SLEEP.

I am SO BACK!

I had my first knitting success in recent memory tonight. Remember the Consolation Koigu socks?

The pair that had one toe that decided to be two and a half inches longer than the other toe?

WELL.

Both toes are now the same length. I got stitches on the too-long sock onto my needles at the point at which the toe should have begun, cut the toe (Gasp!) and unravelled. Then I did a short row toe and KITCHNERED all 32 stitches across. And it looks darn skippy, if I do say so myself.

And, then, I wore them.

SWEET HEAVEN! Everyone deserves a pair of koigu socks. They're perfect. Snug, soft, warm, faboo. Perfect muted rainbow goodness. I need to show you a picture. I want more koigu socks. Sadly, I have no more koigu in the stash, and the yarn embargo of 2007 will keep me in check. Fortunately, I have plenty of other sock yarn.

And now I am going back to my garter stitch scarf, since I know better than to expect this luck to continue into a second complicated project. :-)

But my wounded pride is starting to feel a little bit better.

A few favorites.

My favorite yarn is, without a doubt, Debbie Bliss' Cashmerino. Anyweight. It's all faboo. Soft, fluffy, holds up well to machine washing (!) though it doesn't appreciate the dryer too much. The stuff is divine.

My favorite blog these days is, hands down, yarnstorm. The color! The play! This woman has an incredible eye and an incredible voice. Every post is a visual delight.

A Very Productive Saturday

Today I have:

• Addressed most of the wedding invitations,
  
• Filled out most of my bar application,
  
• Got price quotes for wedding day hair and makeup,
  
• Confirmed wedding dress delivery date,
  
• Washed my sheets and duvet cover,
  
• Taken a bunch of stuff to the dumpster, and
  
• Cleaned up the garage.
  

I still need to:

• Go to the grocery store,
  
• Make dinner.
  

Sadly, no knitting on the list, though the curse of recent weeks seems to be fading.... Not that I've tried anything more challenging than garter stitch, but that's ok. All in good time.

Once Bitten Twice Shy Three Times Surrender

I had such a hard time with knitting projects over the holidays that I can't bring myself to cast on for anything. Which makes for a REALLY BORING knit blog!

The Frost Flowers shawl, knitted by Eunny in 16 days, has kicked my booty big time. I cast on last summer and gave up after 10 rows, then tried again right after finals. After starting and ripping about 15 times (no exaggeration, for a change), I finally made it 45 rows in and was starting to feel more comfortable.... Then disaster struck. I somehow got off one stitch, and then tinked/knitted/tinked/knitted the same row 8 times. The last time I dropped a stitch and it immediately slipped down 10 rows. 10 rows of complicated lace. So I gave up again. The yarn/needles/pattern are stuffed in a bag that has been shoved back under my bed, where it spent all fall in time out after the first disasterous attempt.

I also tried to start Eunny's Spectacular Bayerische Socks. I couldn't even do the 1x1 ribbing right!!! Kept increasing somehow. Then, when I finished the first cabled round, I ended up with 6 extra stitches. This all happened after the Frost Flowers disaster, so I just ripped it out and stuck the Bayerische supplies into the same bag located in the deep dark recesses of under the bed storage doom.

Did make it to knit night last night- my Mom wants a Cherry Scarf like mine, so I cast on while chatting with the group. One would think that after four years of knitting I would be able to cast on for a garter stitch scarf.... Wrongo! I had to cast on four times because apparently I can't count to 24. Oy VAY.

Send good knitting thoughts my way- I NEED THEM!

knitting

Happy New Year!

I am finally back home after a couple weeks with the future husband and his family. We had a lovely Christmas and New Year, and it's good to be back at home!

I have only one resolution this year: I'm not buying any yarn.

You read that right- none.

I have enough yarn that if I knit and knit and knit and knit, it would take at least four years to get through what I already have. And I have no time. I also got my butt seriously kicked by every project I attempted over the holiday, and am feeling a little less than talented right now.

So no yarn.

EXCEPT: (of COURSE there are escape clauses!!)

I got a $50 gift certificate to Hill Country Weavers in Austin- my favorite LYS ever- from Mr. C, so I can spend that on yarn since it's not actually my money.

AND possibly except for spectacular difficult to find yarn that I encounter at sheep or wool festivals, if I even make it to any this year. It would be a shame to make it to Rhinebeck and not be allowed to buy anything.... I know I won't be at Maryland (graduating/honemooning/moving right around then), and I probably won't make it to Taos (won't live in NM anymore by then). But one never knows....

Hard Drive is Officially Gone

The Doctor is attempting one more rescue effort.... If it doesn't work, I've lost years worth of photos (this is the biggest bummer), the wedding guest list with addresses, all my law school notes, several pdf knitting patterns I had purchased, all of my iTunes information, and my iPod may not work with another computer (something about needing to decommission the old computer, which is impossible given its current state of deadness.)

Oh well.

Who cares, really- I've got SOME of the photos loaded onto flickr and ofoto, and it has snowed TWICE today and pretty much all day yesterday. It's gorgeous. AND it's Christmas! WOOHOO!

You win some, you lose some.

I finished Green Gable and it FITS! FABULOUSLY!

But I can't post pictures because my laptop, she is dead. (I'm posting during a break at work).

I have't had time to call and fight with Dell yet because I'm still in the middle of finals, and it always takes at least 6 hours regardless what the problem actually is.

(Edited to Add: Dell was fantastic- was on the phone less than 20 minutes start to finish. My hard drive is dead, they're sending a new one. LOVE the insurance policy I bought when I got the computer. Hopefully my Mom's computer guru will be able to salvage some of the data off my old hard drive after they take it out of my computer... fingers crossed!)

But the sweater is done, and it's pretty good!

I once was lost but now am found....

My Mom hosted the neighborhood Christmas party at our house on Saturday, which meant Friday was spent throwing messy stuff under the bed, into the closet, cramming into drawers.... In the process, I managed to lose the LAST BALL OF YARN for Green Gable.

I am so close to being done with this sweater- within 2 inches of the end of the last sleeve, and of course, it's time to attach a new ball. That I couldn't find. For three days. Talk about frustrating!

Fortunately, I found it last night, and will (hopefully) be finishing the sleeve tonight as a reward for taking 2 exams in 28 hours (10 hours of exam taking in 28 hours is a LOT, especially when a good 10 additional hours were all the study time available for the second exam!)

I am so glad I found this yarn ball. It was killing me.

What a WEEK!

It only got better after my last post....

Little did I know that C, my best law school buddy, and my Mom had conspired to throw a surprise party Wednesday night. They hired a local taco truck to set up in our neighborhood courtyard and serve gorditas, burritos, and tacos all night. There were mariachis, mini pinatas, the best guacamole I've ever tasted, and a bunch of my dear friends. I was shocked by how many law students found a couple hours to celebrate with me in the midst of this bonkers week. And a family friend who has known me longer than anyone else came down from Santa Fe. It was wonderful!

AND it was a complete surprise.

And now I have a cold and am waaaay behind on studying for finals.

It was SO. WORTH. IT.

30!

Today is my 30th birthday. WOOHOO! Mr. C flew in last night as a surprise- he had a friend of mine make arrangements for a girls' night dinner, then he showed up instead of her! I had no idea he was coming out- so sweet.

This is a strange birthday. A major decade change combined with life on the cusp of major change. In my first year of 30-dom, I will marry, finish law school, move to another state, and start a whole new career. The transitions won't be easy, but I am so excited about all of these changes- makes it much easier. And I'm ecstatic to be starting the real "adult" phase of my life partnered with someone as fabulous as C.

WHEEEEEEEEEE!

Just got confirmation from the bridal salon that my dress should be here the first week in February.

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE my dress. SO. EXCITED.

By the way, my dress came from Bridal Portfolio in Southlake, Texas (outside of Dallas). The ladies there are very nice and incredibly professional. It's a very pleasant place to shop for a gown and they have gorgeous dresses. They also special ordered samples of 3 dresses from one of their designers for me.... Everything went off without a hitch!

On the other hand, avoid Bridal Couture of Scottsdale, Arizona like the plague. They are lying, cheating punks who were rude the entire time my Mom and I were in their store, and I've been fighting with my credit card company for 3 months about fraudulent charges from this place. RUN AWAY!

Reflections on NaBloPoMo

I managed to post every single day in November. I'm really proud of that, especially given that the first half of the month was an absolute zoo for me.

After not much reflection, here's my take on what I learned:

• I got nothin. Really. Nothing to say. I don't think I wrote a single post that was important, intriguing, or really even interesting the entire month. Good thing I'm doing this for me, and not for you. You'd be really disappointed!
  
• My stats jumped immensely during November, despite the lack of photos, decent content, etc. Which leads me to the conclusion that there are a lot of bored, lonely people in blogland. It is kind of nice to eavesdrop on strangers, getting a sense of what their lives are like... but I can't believe how many people came here just because there was something new. And I feel like a lab mouse who has learned that I get a treat when I push a button- post, readers. Post, readers. It's kinda cool, but apologies for the lack of interesting stuff!
  
• I also learned that you guys really like the knitting posts- -my stats jumped every time I mentioned yarn or knitting in the subject line. Good to know. Wish I could give you more, but it's been a slow year. :-)
  
• Increasing blog readership is part brute-force and part good content. If it's great, but sparse, people will still read. If it's crap, but there's a lot of it, people will sill read. The ideal combo, obviously, is lots of great content, and my favorite blogs are a reflection of that. But it's nice to know the rest of us can get by with fairly regular episodes of posting about random stuff.
  
• I really do blog for myself. I haven't been analyzing my stats as much to see where people are from, how they got here, how long they spent, etc. I did it more to get something out in the ether, as a personal discipline. I completely lack discipline in almost every other area, so I'm really glad I did this! Probably my favorite aspect of the project.
  

Would I do it again? Sure! I just don't expect to contribute much that might be of use to the public discourse....

The Panic, It Has Begun

We're at T minus 5 days till exam mayhem starts. I wouldn't be so panicky, but

• I haven't read a single page in a single class all semester long.
  
• I have two really hard exams and one that shouldn't be too bad.
  
• I also have to rewrite a 30 page paper in the midst of exam mayhem.
  
• AND I'm turning 30 on Wednesday! (Maybe that should be my paper day- 30 pages for 30 years?)
  
• The Green Gables is so close to done I can taste it.... yet I will feel guilty for every stitch I knit during the next two weeks....
  

Aw Jeez

In the 6 working days since I posted about the holiday food disaster area that is my office, said office has recieved four dozen frosted pumpkin cookies, two pies, a two pound brick of chocolate, and three tins of shortbread.

Kill me now!

I have, in the same amount of time, spent 45 minutes on the elliptical machine and done a pilates class. I was feeling vituous, but this is not nearly enough to keep up with the calorie intake explosion. OH WELL.

Back in the Day....

When I was a kid (good Lord, I must be getting REALLY OLD if I'm starting a story off this way) New Mexico actually had winters and substantial amounts of snow. I can remember one day in elementary school when it snowed so hard all day that school was let out at noon. By the time the busses got to the school there was a good 8 inches or so on the ground, and almost a foot by the time I got home.

We had a light dusting of snow last night- barely 1/32 of an inch in my nieghborhood. The roads were completely clear.

Yet the university is apparently either delayed or cancelled all classes.

PANSIES!

Well I'll Be Darned....

There's snow on the mountain! And it's COLD.

Brrrrr.

Our unseasonably warm weather has (at least temporarily) left. High today expected around 50, tomorrow around 40, allegedly with a chance of snow.

My birthday is in the first week of December, and it was frequently cold/snowy for my birthday growing up. By the time I turned 16, we hadn't had cold wintry weather on my birthday in years. My Mom had planned a big deal sweet-16 party, cooking for days and days before the big day. I jokingly said, "wouldn't it be great if we got a foot of snow for my birthday?" Sure enough, we got it. Of the 150 or so invited guests, only the neighbors were able to make it over.

We had LOTS of leftovers.

Knitters, Knitters, Everywhere....

I'm wearing my Misty Garden scarf today, and it sparked a conversation with a coworker about knitting. I guess she's picked it up in the last couple months and is in scarf-production mode for Christmas. I was at a party last night and overheard one group talking about law school and another talking about knitting. Who knew there were so many knitters!

This Misty Garden scarf has turned out to be one of my favorite FOs- I wear it at least once or twice a week in cold weather. (I obviously didn't gift it as I thought I would when I posted the original FO!)

Green Gable is still moving along- about 3 inches away from the end of one sleeve, and then the other left to do. The sleeves are going so fast!

Loved "Stranger Than Fiction"

C and I saw Stranger Than Fiction this weekend, and I LOVED it. The movie was funny, clever, and touching, without a lot of the slapstick comic antics Will Ferrell is known for. (For the record, I also loved Tallagega Nights and Old School. It's just nice to see Ferrell in this kind of role- he did a great job!)

Shopping!

No time to really blog, but did some shopping this weekend. C and figured out where we're going to register (whew) and I got some Christmas shopping done. We somehow managed to avoid the crowds, which was really a great surprise!

I also finished the body and half a sleeve on the green gables- sleeves are SO much faster than the body....

Nothing to post about!

C is here and we've had a great visit so far. Spent this afternoon up in Santa Fe poking around. Not much else to report!

Turkey Day!

We're done with dinner, and are recovering for dessert- family and friends are coming over to play scrabble, chickenfoot dominoes, and cribbage.

I hope you have a lot to be thankful for this year- I know I sure do!

Turkey Day Prep!

I ditched school today (such a bad girl) and spent the day prepping for tomorrow with my Mom. We've been to the grocery store(s), make pumpkin bread, cleaned the house, and made pie crusts. I'm about to hit the shower then go pick up Mr. C! YAY!

Oh NOOOOOOOOO!

The first of the holiday gift baskets arrived at the office yesterday, and it was filled with REALLY YUMMY TREATS. Mexican wedding cookies, homemade caramel corn, fudge, chocolate covered pretzels....

This spells DOOM for the diet. Maybe I should take it as a sign to cut back on my hours so I'm not in the office exposed to the mounds of unhealthy treats that will be arriving in the next month....

I have been knitting.....

But the progress pictures are REALLY BORING. I've been working away on Green Gables, and am now within four inches of the bottom of the sweater. YAY! I am going to add long sleeves, so I will have lots more stockinette in the round to look forward to in the coming days.... Thrilling!

I'm still pessimistic about this sweater's potential for wearability. I know it's big enough, but is it too big? I'm working in Pakucho organic cotton purchased from elann a while back, and the Pakucho allegedly shrinks like Rowan Denim. Have I made the body long enough? Only time will tell....

I'm hoping to have this project wrapped up by mid-December so I can start on something more interesting after finals are over.

What Happened to Fall?

It is freakishly warm here- mid 60s every day- what happened to fall? I keep reading on other knit blogs about "cold November" and "winter really setting in...." NOT HERE!

What I Do When I've Had A Bad Day

My last job before law school was a mixed blessing. It came along when I needed it most and gave me stability and a whole new set of skills. My primary boss (the VP) was fabulous-a kind kind man with a wonderful heart-but my supervisor was the devil incarnate.

Towards the end, things got pretty ugly. I knew in March of that year that I was going to law school and would be quitting in July. She cornered me one day in late March to talk about "my future."

She confronted me about how miserable I was at work, and demanded an end game- what was I going to do to get myself out of this unhappy place?

Much to her surprise, my end game was clear- I was getting the hell out of there and going to law school, thankyouverymuch. I didn't plan on telling her until the absolute last second, but the conversation was so uncomfortable that I just spilled the beans.

WELL. She was pissed. And probably jealous, now that I think about it. But April, May, and June of that year were even worse than normal at work. This woman was a pain in the keister and would not leave me alone.

One day it was so bad that I got back to my desk after another lecture from her and was so frustrated that all I could do was write haiku about how much I disliked her.

Eventually the haiku became full blown sonnets- 14 lines, iambic pentameter, appropriate rhyming schemes, the whole nine yards. I found that the more restrictive the form and the more rules I had to follow, the more cathartic the results of my poetic efforts. I find that this set of rules makes for a wonderful release of negative energy, should you decide to sonnet your way out of a crappy day at work.

Things I'm Really Looking Forward To

I am really looking foward to getting married. Good thing it's only five months away!

In no particular order:

• Falling asleep next to Mr. C every night for the rest of my life. He's a great sleeping partner.
  
• Having someone to go see movies with. C has great taste in movies (except the B-list horror flicks) and am really looking forward to having movie dates.
  
• The smell of his skin. It's sweet and wonderful and smells like home.
  
• Access to his incredible music collection. I love music, and have eclectic taste, but easily get stuck in ruts and don't know how to break out. C LOVES music, has impeccable taste, and at times appears to have music ADD- he blows from song to song and genre to genre so quickly it can be hard to keep up.
  
• Being a wife. Seriously. I'm looking forward to cooking. And making a home. And taking care of him, and letting him take care of me. I'm going to need to work on the letting him take care of me bit more than I want to admit.
  
  

A Really Bad Idea

Is it just me, or is this a REALLY BAD IDEA?!?

Why would OJ write a book that says, "I didn't do it, but if I did, this is exactly how it would have gone down."

Aaaaand We're Back

I am finally feeling almost normal again. Last night I actually got a full night sleep- instead of waking up every 3 hours and 59 minutes desperate for the next dose of decongestant, I got a full, uninterrupted eight hours.

While I am not 100%, I am probably back up around 90%, which is pretty darn good give how sick I've been since Friday.

Cookbooks: Mark Bittman

I love books. Novels, poetry, knitting, cooking... Love love love love love.

When I find an author I like I buy everything they write. Eventually. Sometimes all at once. I was looking at my bookshelf and noticed some of my favorites.

This was going to be a single post about my various categories, but it's getting long and I'm just on Mark Bittman. Eventually I plan to expand this to talk about my cookbooks by Ina Garten and Nigella Lawson; my knitting books by Kaffe Fassett, Nancy Bush, and Stephanie Pearl-McPhee; and my novels by Barbara Kingsolver, Dave Eggers, and Jane Austen.

Cookbooks: Mark Bittman

I love Mark Bittman. He's a columnist for the New York Times, writing as "The Minimalist." His whole approach to cooking is based on the premise that good recipes have two of the following: (i) a short ingredient list, (ii) a short instruction list, or (iii) a short cooking time. I took a cooking class with him when I lived in Austin, and I love him! So very New York- dry, no-nonsense, sophisticated and very casual/laid back all at the same time. I have most of his cookbooks. I don't own but would love to have his Fish: The Complete Guide to Buying and Cooking and his Leafy Greens: An A-To-Z Guide to 30 Types of Greens Plus 200 Delicious Recipes.

I love the minimalist idea- very focused on letting good ingredients speak for themselves while keeping food very accessible to every day cooks. I LOVE his books because they provide a basic recipe- grilled chicken breasts, for example, then provide several variations, such as Mexican or Asian flavorings or how to dress the dish up for a special occasion. This is a fabulous way to learn how to really cook- master the basics, then get fancy.

If you only buy one Bittman book, it should be How to Cook Everything: Simple Recipes for Great Food. The slightly tongue in cheek title is not that far off- any time I need a random recipe I turn to this book first. It's like the Joy of Cooking or Better Homes and Gardens cookbook for our generation. I count on this book for fresh, fast, easy suggestions with plenty of room (and suggestions) for variations. The book introduces each chapter with an intro to the type of food (salads, for example) or main ingredient (beef- cuts, how to cook, how to chose, etc.) I can't tell you how much I've learned from this book!

The Best Recipes in the World is a similar book- huge, encyclopedic. Bittman focuses more on lesser-known cuisines, eschewing French and Italian for African/Asian/Latin American dishses that don't get much play in other international cookbooks. Again, Bittman pares the recipes down to their elements, and makes ingredients really accessible. Another great book.

Bittman has written a series of Minimalist cookbooks, all of which are fab. The Minimalist Cooks at Home: Recipes That Give You More Flavor from Fewer Ingredients in Less Time is the most basic- first in the series- and explains the basics of his approach, including excellent simple recipes. The Minimalist Cooks Dinner takes it a step further, with main dishes, salads, soups, sides, desserts... and The Minimalist Entertains contains seasonal menus based on a simple theme. These books are great because you can count on them for grouping ideas, variations, and simple but delicious food.

One of my favorite Bittman works is Simple to Spectacular: How to Take One Basic Recipe to Four Levels of Sophistication, co-written with Jean Georges Vongerichten (uber chef). Talk about a teaching aid! This book takes a basic recipe- scrambled eggs, for example- and then elevates the recipe to four additional levels of formality/dressiness. The scrambled egg section starts off with basic scrambled eggs- eggs, butter, salt, pepper. The next recipe adds tomato and basil to develop the flavor. The next recipe starts with basic scrambled eggs, but incorporates cream cheese, smoked salmon, and sorrel. Next is scrambled eggs with crispy potatoes and prosciutto. The section ends with Oefs au caviar- a formal dish of scrambled eggs cooked with lemon juice and vodka, served in their own shells and topped with caviar. The book really explains how chefs start with a simple idea, then ratchet up the presentation/ingredient list until they have something worthy of a Michelin star or two. And the book is so accessible- I can make this stuff. It's great.

Anyway, I'm a BIG Mark Bittman fan, in case you have't noticed. His writing is clear and easy to read, he brings a very realistic approach to tacking dinner, but retains some of the creativity that makes cooking fun.

I love this man.

In 2003, C bought a 1981 Jeep Scrambler on eBay. (His is white with a tan hardtop- doens't look nearly as redneck as the one in that picture...) The Jeep was in California, so he flew out there to pick it up, and drove back to Austin. On the way back, he stopped in the Conejos River Valley, where my family had rented a cabin for the weekend. It was the first time he met my family.

This picture was taken on the way home. That was a LOOOONG day--850 miles across west Texas in July in a 20+ year old jeep with mud tires and no air conditioning. I was deaf, sweaty, and exhausted when we got home. But we sure had a good time!

Knitting for the Wedding?

A lot of people have asked me if I was going to knit anything for the wedding. I think NOT.

In June I thought about knitting a shawl or wrap for each of my bridesmaids, but people told me I was crazy. Then that same people suggested last week that I knit shawls for my bridesmaids, but there's just not enough time left. Besides which, even if I had started in June, that's a lot of lace knitting, especially given my utter lack of knitting time these days!

I love the huppahs people have knit as well, but we're our ceremony doesn't need one and I doubt that the church we're getting married in would allow it anyway.

I also thought about knitting an afghan or blanket or something for us to have at home after the wedding, but it would never be finished in time.

So no, I'm not knitting anything for the wedding. I might take my Birch shawl along for myself, since it will probably be chilly in the evening.

Still sick. Blech.

Nothing Interesting Today

I have a cold and I'm stuck in the law library basement checking citations in an article. Let me TELL you how much fun I'm having. Whee.

Wedding Update

Things are really coming together- whee!

I finally picked bridesmaid dresses- we're getting them from Aria Bridesmaids in LA.


(This picture is from Lynn Lugo Bridesmaids- very similar style/color/fabric, but Aria is a lot less expensive.)

It's also time to order invitations. I think we're going with fairly traditional invites from Reaves Engraving. They do all of the engraving for Cranes, and their house papers are a lot less expensive.

Our photographer is Ginger Russell, who lives up in Santa Fe. I am so excited about working with her- I love her style and she is such a great personality fit.

The ceremony is going to be at the church I went to when I was in high school, the Cathedral Church of Saint John, and the reception will be at the Albuquerque Museum. We're using City Treats as our caterer- Stefani runs the Cafe at the museum, and she's FABULOUS.

Our DJ is Jim Gross at Carousel of Music (terrible website, but they come HIGHLY recommended from several people I trust), and we're using Melba as our florist (again, terrible website, but fabulous florist.)

Everything is really coming together. It's about time to meet with most of the vendors to get round 2 of planning started, but all the bones are in place.

Sweater Curse

I've had bad luck with sweaters... I've even chronicled how bad some of them have been.... And yet, I try again. At least I have learned that worsted-weight tank tops are a BAD. IDEA.

Green Gables is on the needles. I'm probably about 2/3 of the way done with the body. It's going pretty well, and has become my primary knitting these days. I'm planning on adding long sleeves.

I'm terrified that it's going to be horrible. That it won't fit. That it'll make me look like a snowball.

And yet, I keep on knitting. I have flashes of optimism- maybe it won't stink! But mostly, I'm nervous.

How many sweaters did you have to make before you had sweater success?

Albuquerque's Local IQ: Better than the Alibi!

Old news, but have you checked out the Local IQ yet? It's a paper and online free biweekly paper with great Albuquerque information. I find it much more useful than the Alibi, which is pretty pathetic.

IQ tends to write about events, restaurants, and happenings that are interesting to me- they've done pieces on all of my favorite downtown restaurants- Slate Street Cafe, Standard Diner, Relish (best sandwiches EVER), and a lot of other great finds as well.

If you haven't checked them out yet, I highly recommend doing so!

VOTE

Just do it.

(Yes, this is a lame post.)

Blogger Demographics- interesting study

I stumbled across a Pew Internet & American Life Project study titled "Bloggers: A portrait of the internet's new storytellers (it's a PDF) while doing research for my paper. (Found the link through anthropology.net).

The demographics aren't earth-shattering, but I find the whole blog phenomenon fascinating. Check it out if you're curious!

iTrain

I'm trying to work out a little more often than I usually do during the school year. I have a favorite workout tool: iTrain. iTrain provides guided workouts (think aerobics classes) that you download onto the MP3 player of your choice. They have cardio workouts for the treadmill, bike, stair climber and elliptical trainer; they've got strength workouts including more traditional weights, less traditional sculpting that includes ballet, yoga, pilates, and tai chi, and they have yoga style stretching workouts.

The first workout of theirs I downloaded was a 20 minute treadmill workout with Grace, the founder. It was a bit disconcerting to hear her say, "looking good!" as I bumped up the speed- how does she know I'm looking good? I could be sitting on the couch -but I got over that. The cardio workouts make 20, 40, or 60 minutes on a cardio machine much more interesting by incorporating different speeds and resistance levels... Beats the pants off the pre-programmed options on the machines at the gym.

I am definitely not a workout guru- I'm a little chubby, a little clumsy, and not particularly dedicated. But I'm making it to the gym a lot more often and enjoying myself a lot more because these iTrain workouts make it more interesting!

WIP Bars!

Thanks to Lesley over at Knitticisms, I was FINALLY able to add Work in Progress bars on the left. Now let's see if I remember to keep them updated! :-)

Interesting

Thanks for the thoughtful comments on yesterday's post. I think the whole blogging/podcasting phenomenon is fascinating. Any idiot with an internet connection can now share their blitherings with the world instantly- and I do! :-)

I've got a draft of a paper due on Monday. The paper is for my Information Technology and the Law class. I'm writing on a somewhat related topic- now that every Joe Blow has a blog/podcast/Flickr/YouTube account, what intellectual property rules apply to their blitherings? I'm writing specifically about copyright protection and the Creative Commons licensing scheme.

Since I'm *supposed* to be writing a paper, I'll sign of and get back to it. I do plan on sharing a condensed version here- something for those of us with a blog to think about!

What does this mean?

One of my favorite blogs is Stay of Execution, written by a former lawyer-turned-sailing-coach who lives in Portland, Maine.

Apparently one of her readers is irked:

"An anonymous reader has announced that s/he will no longer be reading this blog because 'the narrative arc has stalled.'"

What the heck does that mean?

I like the author's post in response, but it makes me think about blogging and what it means and why I do it.

I blog because I think it's funny. I treat it like the paper journal I can never find that I feel I should be filling with deep intimate secrets. It's a place where I can dump whatever happens to be on my mind. It's a way for me to record my knitting hobby and to connect with like minded fiber addicts. I know it's silly. I don't pretend to have anything useful to say, much less anything entertaining, important, instructive, or anything else. I do this for me and I like that.

I find it fascinating that someone stops reading a personal blog because "the narrative arc has stalled." Why does this person think he's entitled to a narrative arc from this blogger? It's not like she's writing for his entertainment. People don't have narrative arcs, people have lives. Those lives usually involve jobs, relationships, stressors... Most people are not professional writers who live to chronicle their narrative arcs for the entertainment of anonymous blog readers. Life gets in the way. The reality of blogging for most of us is that there just isn't a narrative arc. Really, do lives have narrative arcs? I don't think they do. People live, stuff happens, but is it "narrative"? Yes, you can get in a funk or be on top of the world, but is that "stalling" of the narrative arc?

I also find it fascinating that someone who wants to stop reading because "the narrative arc has stalled" feels the need to tell the writer. Who does this guy think he is? Why does he think the writer will care that he has stopped reading? Especially for such an inane reason? What purpose has this notice served, other than giving me something to write about? People are so weird.

Knit Funk

It happens every time. I finish a project, get excited about starting something new, and then... the new project stinks.

I cast on for the socks, and totally messed up the figure 8 cast on I was using. Had to rip. Have ripped 4 more times.

My Aunt requested a Birch in black when she saw my blue one over the summer, but... Black KidSilk Haze? Impossible. Can't see anything. I cast on and knit two rows, then put it down, and the yarn ripped when I picked it back up- completely disconnected from the ball.

Annoying little stuff. I know I'll get back in the groove of things soon, but right now it's knit funk for me.

New Socks on the Needles

Since I finished up the River scarfy/shawly thing and am down to one (okay, two*) projects on the needles, I figured it was time to cast on for another pair of socks!

I'm finally using my Greenwood Fiber Works cotton and elastic sock yarn in blue (click here to see the results of the dye job I did....)

WHAT GREAT YARN! It's super soft, super stretchy, and knits at a surprisingly fine gauge. If you have hot-feeted people in your life but love to knit socks, this may be the answer. I'm counting on that being the case, at any rate....

Again, I can't stress how fabulous Greenwood Fiber Works was to work with- so fast and so professional. Check them out!


* The one project that counts is Green Gable, and it appears to be going well. The project that doesn't count is the Clap, which I hate. I'm making it out of Brooks Fiber mohair in a blue/tan combo, which I also hate. I know! It's so sad! The yarn was so seductive in the skien at Taos Wool Festival last year, but I really dislike working with this stuff. It's splitty, slippery, and just unpleasant. And I forgot to drop one of the stitches a good 10 rows back, and this yarn does NOT rip out, and I'm not sure how to fix it. So bad color + bad behavior + bad knitting = time out for the Clap. Sigh.

Happy Halloween!

from Miss Texas!
(my costume last year)

Fall Colors!

Finally, some pictures of great local color....






Pattern: River from Rowan 40
Yarn: Rowan KidSilk Haze in Marmalade
Needles: Vintage 10 1/2

I loved this pattern. Lots of people whined about what a long, boring knit this was, but I really enjoyed the whole knitting of it. And I love the kidsilk haze. Fabulous orange.

This was supposed to be a gift... But.... I sure am smitten!

SORRY!

Yikes- have been fooling around with Blogger Beta (LOVE IT) and didn't realize it was updating my Bloglines feed- -Apologies for flooding your feeds!

Like A Moth To The Flame....

Village Wools, my LYS, is celebrating the end of their first week in the new location. Like a moth to the flame, I cruised by today to check it out.

First off, this is a great store with great people. And now they have a ton more room. This is good news for those of us who can't get enough of a good thing.

But.

It's hard to find. I had looked up directions on the internet and still drove around for 10 minutes trying to find the place. Be forewarned if you're heading over there for the first time- it's hidden. Also, it's no longer near any place I ever go, so there will probably be fewer impulse stops. Alas, all of Albuquerque is moving north and west, so it's probably a better location for lots of their customers.

While I am a major fiber junkie, it's rare that I actually find something in Village Wools that I cannot live without. I'm not sure what it is. Maybe it's the organization, or the display, or the colors they choose to stock, or my own guilt about the size of my existing stash.... But I usually escape unscathed. Today was no exception. (Again, helps that I just bought 4 pairs of socks worth in Boston....) Even so, they had just restocked on Trekking XXL, 3 of the 4 pairs of Boston yarn, and NONE of the colors at VW were remotely tempting to me.

They've got a great book section, but again, it's hard to find stuff in there. At least in the new store you can see all the books, so if you have time to search every shelf, you have a better chance of finding what you're looking for than you did in the old space. Still, I couldn't figure out what the book organization scheme was.

Things I love about the new space- LIGHT! It's gorgeous! MORE SPACE=MORE YARN. They've expanded their offerings, and there is some seriously great yarn in that building. I also love that they've got a dye room and are going to be starting dye classes, and I noticed today that there was a spinning wheel out in the open- hopefully I'll be able to take one of their spinning classes in the spring. Also, along with the building comes a new and improved website that actually has useful information! This is a major improvement- way to go, guys!

Village Wools is the primary yarn store in Albuquerque and possibly the state- they have a huge array of inventory, a gorgeous space, and tremendously knowledgable (and friendly) staff. It's my favorite local place for all these reasons. Congratulations on the new space!

It's Officially Official

Mr. C and I will be settling in Austin after I graduate in May. It's exciting and sad all at the same time. I'm really looking forward to getting back to my friends there, but it'll be hard to leave my friends (and family!) here. And, I've turned down two job offers here, and have nothing there.... But it will all work out in the end. C and I will FINALLY be together, and we'll be living in one of my all-time favorite towns.

Ah, the things we do for love!

Seriously!

How did I get so tired?!? This month is kicking my booty.

I realized on Sunday morning that it was the very first weekend day SINCE LABOR DAY WEEKEND that I was free (and by "free" I mean "have a ton of homework but am too pooped to deal with it.")

Craziness!

We've had a cold snap here, and all I want to do is knit! I actually found myself thinking today that I really wish I had the hot pink, orange, and yellow fair isle mittens I haven't knitted yet out of the yarn I bought in London. Oh well. Maybe those will be next on the needles...

Speaking of which, I am SO CLOSE to finishing the project du jour.... So it's reasonable for me to be thinking about starting another project. Really. I swear.

A Heckuva Month

Is October over yet? I'm exhausted! What a crazy busy month. Some has been fun (like Balloon Fiesta, having C in town, visiting Meg...) and some has not (3 major presentations, crunch time at work, etc.) Oh WELL.

I DID buy yarn while I was visiting Meg in Massachusetts. Mostly sock yarn:



On the left is Lion and Lamb by Lorna's Laces in a fabulous lettuce green, purchased at Newury Yarns. Next up is bright orange Trekking XXL with turqouise and red, bought at Northampton Wools (whose new book is reviewed in this week's Knitter's Review!). I could not resist this pink and green Trekking at Woolcott and Co. in Harvard Square. On the far right is some fabulously fall-colored Trekking I purchased at ... shoot... I have no idea. Ack! Did I get it with the orange stuff at Northampton Wools? You know it was a good yarn crawl when you have yarnmnesia. Finally, on the bottom, is some Artyarns Ultramerino in the most amazing pinks/corals/oranges/browns/grays, purchased at Webs. I always thought their URL of "yarn.com" was a bit pretentious, but having been there, I can affirm it's a total understatement. What a place.

Anyway, much knitting was accomplished while in Boston. It was really energizing to be with my yarny soul mate again. I feel nourished.

So nourished, in fact, that I am committing to participate in this nonsense. I have always wanted to participate in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), but November in law school is always a disaster. But NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) is something I can get behind! Watch for a post every day in November... I might even have something interesting to say by the end of the month!

May the force be with me!

New England Fall!

If I was a good blogger, I'd have lots of pictures to show you.

I went to Boston, MA, to visit Meg this past weekend. We had a blast! Fall leaves, apples galore, knitting, and yarn crawls in three cities... It was fab.

But I'm a bad blogger. Not a single picture!

School's insane this week, but I'll try to wrangle a decent post about my trip in the next few days.

The Year of One Thousand Babies- Part 2?

2006 has been the year of the Babe... All told, 17 friends are giving birth this year.

2007 is already booking up, too- one of my bridesmaids is going to be 8 and a half months pregnant at the wedding.

Anyone want to make a bet on how many babies 2007 will bring?!?

And we're back.

Kidsilk Haze is on the needles, itchy fingers cured.

I love knitting.

Itchy Fingers!

I am DYING to start a new project... I even have Rowan KidSilkHaze in TWO different colors ready to roll... Now, if only I had a free minute or two....

It's definitely fall, which means KNITTING! That is, knitting as soon as I get my school work under control again... Wish me luck!

This is Bullsh*t

Some of you know that I went to an all-women's college. Today, that college ceased to exist.

It even made CNN.com's front page.

The documents that established Randolph-Macon Woman's College in 1891 contain the following paragraph:

"We wish to establish in Virginia a college where our young women may obtain an education equal to that given in our best colleges for young men and under environments in harmony with the highest ideals of womanhood; where the dignity and strength of fully developed faculties and the charm of the highest literary culture may be acquired by our daughters without loss to woman's crowning glory--her gentleness and grace."

Today the Board of Trustees, guardians of this mission, fiduciaries guiding the college, voted to admit men to the class of 2007.

The decision itself is disappointing, but the manner in which the decision was reached was absolutely appalling. Financial mismanagement, spurious studies of the options, an utter lack of good faith communications with any of the stakeholders involved. Faculty have been threatened, alumnae insulted, and students largely ignored.

Is this my alma mater? I hardly recognize it. So much for leading by example!

Fall fell on a holiday weekend!

It's Labor Day weekend, and fall has officially arrived in New Mexico! It's been in the 60s and 70s, and it feels FABULOUS. I'm wearing hand-knit wool socks (cold in the house) and am dreaming of knitting.

Let's see- which looks like more fun- this?



or this?


Ugh. I'm attempting to plug away on the school work, since doing so this weekend will leave me some evening time to knit. Seriously- whoever said the third year of law school was the easiest was a LIAR.

I do have knitting news, but it ain't good. I finished the koigu socks. One is an inch longer in the foot (knew about that) AND half an inch longer in the leg (DIDN'T know that) than the other... I know I need to re-do the toe on the longer sock. Can I live with the difference in leg length? (Maybe WILL I live with the length difference is the better question to ask....)

We also have wedding news- booked a reception venue and a caterer on Friday- so we also have a DATE! It's fun to see the pieces start falling in to place. If any ABQ/NM brides want to dish about vendors/ideas, let me know! I'll be sure to share any positive experiences I have here....