Away from home

I'm in Houston for the week, working on a project there. It feels weird to have been away from home for the holidays (December 18th through 31st) and now away again, so soon.

Dear Hubbo bought me a Roomba robot vacuum for Christmas. I love it. While it definitely won't eliminate the need for a good, thorough weekly clean, it will help keep the house orderly in between. We have a small house- around 1000 square feet- with hardwood floors, and three hairy pets. The pet hair accumulation is rather appalling, and I think the Roomba will help keep me sane.

Our house is a work in progress. We've been slowly remodeling the interior, mostly repairs. We're in the process of rebuilding the garage right now, so a lot of things that were stored out there are temporarily in the house. The clutter is driving me insane. Hubbo and I are both collectors- we love stuff, and things, and it accumulates quickly, like pet hair in the corners. :-) I hope that we can get that under control this year.

I want our home to be a welcoming, comfortable place for both of us, and for our friends. I'm looking forward to finishing up the house this year, finally getting organized and putting some systems in place. I hope that we can both feel more comfortable having people over once the work is further along.

Delicious

This may be the most delicious thing I have ever tasted. It's smooth, creamy, chocolatey, with subtle apricot.

Apricots are one of my favorite foods. I grew up in Santa Fe, NM, which is a high-altitude desert town. The apricots that grow in Santa Fe are unlike any other- I think the dry, cool climate makes them more potent and more flavorful than others. Santa Fe apricots are sweet-tart, much more dense (less watery, more toothsome) than others. Each bite just screams APRICOT!

I'm back!

Well hello there, blog! Sorry to have disappeared like that for a year. I missed you.

I stepped away for a number of reasons. I felt like I needed some time to settle into my new job, married life, being back in Austin, etc. I felt like Ravelry and facebook were taking the place of the blog in a lot of ways, but they're different.

I'm back because I missed writing something non-work related every once in a while.

Here are my hopes for this time around:

• Varied content. My knitting obsession is still intact (just binged at the yarn store, as a matter of fact) but is not the all-consuming fire it once was. I hope to write a little about life, work, cooking, Austin, the house, marriage, and other things that catch my eye.
• Regular posting. I'm not committing to a schedule, but once a week at a minimum.
• Intentional writing. Blogs are great for quick posts, but I'd like to write.
• Photography. I like taking pictures, but I would like to develop my proficiency. I hope to share that with you here.

It's nice to be back. Here's to a great 2010!

Busy!

Here's a short overview of what I've been up to....



Thanksgiving in NM with Mr. C and my family.



LOVING the birthday scarf Meg knit for me and delivered in person this weekend! (Debbie Bliss Pure Silk- nummy nummy nummy.)

The Meg visit naturally involved some retail therapy at three of Austin's yarn stores. Wheeeeeeeeeeee! It was such a good visit. I'm going to stop before I get all weepy that she's back in Michigan. :-)

Trying to Be Generous

Since my FO post about the Lace Ribbon Scarf, I have fallen MADLY in love with the scarf. I heart the yarn, I heart the pattern, I heart the color, texture, weightlessness, EVERYTHING about the scarf. It was all set to become my all time favorite knitted thing of all time, and I was looking forward to a long, but mild winter of fondling it as I wear it around town.

And then my husband asked if we could give to to his mother for her birthday.

We did give it to her, and I know it went to a good home.

Being fairly recently married, we haven't had much expeirence in all the in-law social dynamics. And she is a fellow knitter. It's tricky knitting for other knitters, especially those you want to impress but don't yet have a good sense of her style/likes/color preferences yet. She knows how much effort went in to the scarf and will cherish it.

As much as I loved the scarf, I don't think I want to knit another. The pattern is great, but it got really boring toward the end. The yarn was fab, but my LYS is out and I don't care enough right now to track down any more.

It's funny- when I first started knitting, I knit generously. Baby blankets galore, hats for friends, socks for mom.... I have recently become very, very selfish with my knitting. Maybe it's that I don't have as much knitting time as I once did, so each stitch feels like an indulgence?

I voted!

Amazingly, there was no one in line at my polling place this morning. Apparently half the registered voters in my county took advantage of early voting.

Have YOU voted yet???

November 1

NaBloPoMo? NaKniSweMo? I'm uncommitted at this point, but keeping my options open.

Fabulous Finished Objects

Ok, even though I have been acquiring yarn at an alarming rate, I have also destashed a bit courtesy of Ravelry.

I've also been knitting! This weekend I finished my Kaffe Fasset Tumbling Blocks pillow- lurv it.






Pattern: Tumbling Blocks Pillow, Kaffe Fasset (Rowan membership gift- I got mine on ebBay)
Yarn: Rowanspun 4ply, held double (love eBay)
Raveled here.

I also finished my Lace Ribbon Scarf-







As you can see, Scooter was invaluable to the blocking process.

Pattern: Veronik Avery's Lace Ribbon Scarf from Knitty Spring '08
Yarn: Malabrigo Lace in yummy blue
Raveled here.

This scarf turned out so nicely. I started it thinking it would be a gift for one person, so I knit happy thoughts for that person for the first 6 inches or so. They my Mom hinted that she wanted it, so I knit happy thoughts for her for the next foot. Then I fell in love and knit happy thoughts for me for the rest. :-) I think this one is mine.

My Stash Overfloweth ad absurdum....

So with my bargain buddy and ravelry scores, one would THINK my yarn desires would be completely fulfilled.... and one would be wrong.

My LYS had a summer sale and, since it is FREAKING HOT here most of the year, I thought I'd score some summer yarns:

8 balls of Debbie Bliss Cathay:



and 8 balls of Rowan RYC Bamboo Soft:



Both have already been at least partially knitted and ripped. Good times!

Said LYS also had a warehouse clearance sale at which I scored some decidedly NON-summer yarns....

Two cones of Jamieson's Shetland Aran:




And then I bought some KnitPicks Gloss to make Thermal, but am now thinking maybe Union Square?? I don't know!




So yes, I have had a piggy year on the stash acquisition front. Oink oink oink.

Next time: Revenge of the Stash Thing

Stashity Stash Stash....

Meg asked when I'm going to knit up all the lovelies I have purchased/acquired.

First, I have not yet finished chronicling my stash expansion. Yes, there is more to come. A lot more. I've been bad.

Second, I plan to knit six sweaters, a baby blanket, three pairs of socks, a Christmas stocking, and several Anne Hanson scarves, all before Christmas.

Third, yes I am completely delusional. But at least I am prepared for the impending financial crisis- I have enough yarn to knit forever, so at least my hobby won't be impacted by a return to the financial stone age. I knew I was hoarding for a reason!!!

My Stash Overfloweth Even More....

So I have been blessed by a bargain-shopping buddy. But I have ALSO been very proactive about enhancing my own stash.

Ravelry's ISO/Destash group has been very helpful. Through them, I've scored:

Six skeins of Sweet Georgia sock yarn:





Five big balls of Kauni Effectgarn:



Ten skeins of Rowanspun Dk in Catkin:



A skien of Emily Parsons' Sophie's Toes Sock Yarn:



And three balls of Regia Silk Sock Yarn in snowy white.

My Stash Overfloweth....

When I got married and moved in with my hubby, my goal was simple and achievable:

KEEP MY YARN STASH SMALL ENOUGH THAT IT WILL FIT IN MY MOTHER'S HOPE CHEST. (A large cedar-lined chest that should be large enough to store any reasonably sized stash).

Hardy har har har.

It was all fine, really, until my friend B started showing up with thrift yarn. She found FIVE SWEATERS' WORTH OF WOOL at Goodwill for a grand total of $10. This haul included:

Eighteen balls (1650 yards) of Jacques Fonty Tweed Aran



Ten balls (1300 yards) of Emu Superwash DK



Twenty balls (2740 yards!!!) of Emu Naturally DK



and Ten balls (1370 yards) of similar but slightly darker Emu Naturally DK




YEAH. A lot of nice wool.

THEN, a couple weeks ago, she showed up one Saturday afternoon with a FAB-YOU-LUSS score: Eight balls of Rowan Calmer in pale pink and ten balls of Louisa Harding Grace (50/50 Wool/Silk Yumm) that she scored for EIGHT DOLLARS at a garage sale.

That's a grand total of SEVEN sweaters' worth of yarn, two sweaters' worth of high-end current yarn, for $18.

Meg, you have mad thrifting skilz, but I think the gauntlet has been thrown. :-)

I Heart Austin

Spent the weekend at the Austin City Limits Festival. It was hot and fabulous.

I didn't take any knitting, but I wish I had! This woman has the right idea!!!

Check out this great photo from last year's show- perfectly captures the vibe of the fest...

What's on my needles?

I've been a frighteningly monogamous knitter recently. Which is... scary.

The Mitered Square Blanket is still in progress- I think I've finished 10 squares. I'm really pleased with how this is turning out, but may give up on my dream of a queen-sized blanket. I just don't think I have it in me, and it would weigh a TON in the Tahki Cotton Classic.

I'm almost done with a Kaffe Fassett Tumbling Blocks throw pillow. The knitting is done, and the fabric backing is washed. Now just need to drag out the sewing machine and back it. I really enjoyed this project. Learned how to do intarsia, which really isn't as hard as I thought it was going to be! Now I'm much more confident when I think about approaching other Kaffe projects. I remember my Mom bought the Rowan magazine with the Foolish Virgins pattern (Ravelry Link) and thought it was stunning. My desire to make that pattern has passed, but his other stuff is so fun!

Anyway, here's what the cushion cover looks like right now:




The cushion cover is raveled here.

I'm also nearly finished with a pair of magic-loop toe up socks. I used Silver's Sock Class tutorial for the basics of magic loop, and Fleegle's pattern for my heel. I'm using some of the Regia Kaffe Fassett landscape yarn in the... fog?... colorway. I thought I'd LOVE this yarn, but I'm feeling rather meh about it. Socks are almost done....

The socks used to look like this:


But are now almost done!!!

Socks raveled here.

Last but not least, I'm working on Veronik Avery's Lace Ribbon Scarf from the Sprin '08 Knitty. I'm making it out of some very lovely Malabrigo Lace Weight I got at a Ravelry white elephant held at the Knitting Nest last year. LOVING the yarn. Here's roughly what the scarf looks like:

Scarf is raveled here.

I love this project, but it is only this big:



because I've been trying to finish the socks!

So, that's what I'm working on now.

Oh Thank Heaven.

Whew!

Yesterday’s high was a freakishly low 79 degrees (average for this time of year is 90 degrees). We slept with the windows open and the air conditioning off for the first time since early May, and it was heavenly. We’ll be back in the low 90s by the end of the week, but even that is welcome relief from this summer’s massive heat. I can finally be outside without wanting to die immediately.

You may think I’m kidding, but this has been a very hot summer. Austin had 49 days of triple digit days- that’s 100 degrees or higher. The heat came early and stayed late. I’m serious when I say 95 is a relief.

The weather has such a profound effect on me. I’m a winter person. I was born in December and grew up in the mountains. Snow skiing is my all time favorite activity. I love Christmas, and sweaters, and warm foods and hanging out around a fireplace. I joke about getting reverse seasonal depression here, but it is true. March brings a sense of doom about the upcoming extended heat. August is always miserably hot, but somehow made bearable- it usually occurs to me a week before Labor Day that we have at most six more weeks of super heat and then things will cool down.

Labor Day signals fall, even though fall won’t truly arrive here for several more weeks. My parents were from Michigan, where Labor Day means pulling boats out of the lake, back to school, and cooler weather. I realize how silly this inherited clock is down here, but I am nevertheless impacted by it.

Our cooler temperatures make me feel lucky to live here. We have several months a year of perfect outdoor activity weather- those months just happen to flank summer, not embrace summer. I do miss winter, though.

While the summer heat zaps every ounce of energy, the recent dip in temperatures brings new energy. I’m toying with the idea of blogging regularly again. The last two weeks have also made me itchy for knitting. I have several sweater projects competing for an actual cast on. I have spent a significant amount time trolling Ravelry for inspiration. I have also stocked up on sweater-quantities of wool (oops!)

Here are some of the things I’ve finished since last we spoke:

Several squares for my Mitered Square Afghan:




A pair of cashmere socks (Nancy Bush’s Conwy out of HipKnits Cashmere purchased while I was in London) that were a birthday gift for Meg:



A razor shell neckwarmer out of single-ply Victory Ranch Alpaca:



Next time: WIPs and stash enhancement.

How did I not KNOW this????

Elizabeth Zimmerman is completely charming. And hilarious. And brilliant.

In a spending frenzy a couple weeks ago, I threw copies of "Knitting Workshop" and "Knitter's Almanac" in my amazon shopping cart.

I started with Knitting workshop- have giggled out loud and said "ohhhhhh" and "hmmmmm" and "wowwwwwwwwww" multiple times. I'm only to chapter 3.

I know everyone loves EZ. I'm just now starting to understand why, and I feel like a silly stubborn girl for blowing it off for so long!

Searching....

As seen at Knitorious.

a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker.

The Questions:

1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One word to describe you.
12. Your flickr name.

Summer....

You know you've been in Texas too long when, at the end of May, 90 degrees feels brisk and refreshing.

Send ice.

A MEME!

Meg tagged me with a meme. Despite my best effots to abandon the blog, I will post it here for your enjoyment. :-)

1. What were you doing 10 years ago?

I was starting my first week of work for a US Senator in Washington DC one week after graduating from college. One of the greatest and worst experiences of my life- so glad I did it, so glad I knew when to quit and leave the east coast. I've come a long way, baby.

2. What are five (non-work) things on my to-do list for today:

Enjoy BBQ with my Mom and Brother visiting from New Mexico.
Empty Mr. C's car- it's full of antiques that my Mom and I drove back from New Mexico over the holiday weekend.
Find an alterations person so I can get a new pair of pants hemmed.
Drink enough water.
Post this meme to my blog. (Check!)

3. Snacks I enjoy:

Fruit- apples, berries, apricots, etc.
Pita and hummus, espeically the delicious jalapeno and cilantro variety I can get here in Austin.
Wendy's french fries.
Peanut butter on anything- apples, crackers, a spoon....

4. Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

Pay off the house, the cars, the student loans, and those of the ones I love.
Make a major donation to the University of New Mexico School of Law, and some favorite charities.
Fund a permanent fellowship for my friend K, who wants to provide legal services to those who cannot afford them.
Travel. A lot. Not necessarily extravagantly, but make a habit of stepping outside day to day life on a regular basis.
Do whatever I can to support my family and ensure that my hypothetical children grow up to be well adjusted, non-spoiled, functional members of society.

5. Places I have lived:

In chronological order-
Santa Fe, NM
Corrales, NM
Lynchburg, VA
Arlington, VA
Washington, DC
Avon, CO
Vail, CO
Albuquerque, NM
Austin, TX
Albuquerque, NM
Austin, TX

6. Jobs I have had:
Babysitter, Head Counselor at a music camp, deli/bakery worker and waitress, Resident Assistant at Randolph-Macon Woman's College, Executive Assistant to the Chief of Staff of a US Senator, Legislative Corespondent for the same US Senator, internet specialist and sales assistant at an estate sale/art appraisal company, manager of a ski resort ski school/lift ticket/season pass office, sales staff at a hoity toity ski resort retail store, waitress at a Tex-Mex chain restaurant, technical recruiter, dotcom employee, project manager and technical writer for a tech company, research assistant for a law professor, law clerk for various firms, attorney.

Happy Anniversary!!

We tied the knot one year ago today- absolutely the best thing that has ever happened to me.


(Photo copyright Ginger Russell)

Happy anniversary, Mr. C!