Wednesday, March 28, 2007

cold magic

Rachel's magic lemon and honey cold fighting elixir (passed down from my mom, perfected by me):

Set the kettle on to boil.
Put 1 tablespoon of honey in a coffee mug.
Add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice (of course you should use fresh, but I often use bottled)
Fill mug with very hot or boiling water. Stir and then add more honey or lemon to taste.
It should taste like very lemony lemonade, but you shouldn't make a nasty face when you drink it.

This is good for: cotton mouth (from breathing through your mouth all night), sore/scratchy throat, tickling cough, minor congestion, raw voice, and that nasty taste colds leave in your mouth. It also helps clear up that fuzzy mouth feeling colds can cause. I love it but only really crave it when I'm sick.
I've been meaning to try it with whiskey instead of lemon juice. A honey hot toddy I guess it would be... not that I really know what a hot toddy is.

Sunday, March 25, 2007

sleeve the first of hoodie the first

Never-ending sleeve the first is done!! And looking much better I might add!
(notice the lively ornaments in the background)



I also like admiring the fabulous seaming on this sleeve, hopefully it goes that well for the remainder of the hoodie.


I'm also working on the "one skein wonder" from glampyre knits. The Knit Shop didn't have the yarn asked for in the pattern, but they steered me towards Crystal Palace Yarns "Bamboozle" which is 55% Bamboo 24% Cotton and 21% Elastic Nylon. I choose rainforest and I love the way it is knitting up! What I don't like is how loosely it hangs together as yarn. It kind of unwinds all by itself, so I tied a knot in the cast-on tail to keep it from continued... unraveling? It behaves pretty well after you start kniiting it, but it tends to catch if you aren't careful, and the yarn shop ladies said they wouldn't suggest wooden or bamboo needles because it snags.

Luckily I started off spring break with a nasty cold which gave me a good reason to sit on my butt almost all day working on this little beauty. I need to get through it quickly, because I need my pair of 8's to begin never-ending sleeve the second. Do I have the patience for a full size sweater I wonder?? The hoodie is taking FOR. EV. ER. I guess the secret may be sprinkling in lots of smaller projects during a large project?
I need to learn to knit socks.

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

hiking buddy

This is a hiking buddy we found the last time we were hiking over by Oakridge. Some newts are actually very poisonous. He was very excited to be photographed as you can imagine. I couldn't get the flash to stop going off the first few times, so I'm sure the whole event was erased from his newty little memory.
Reason to move to Oregon: abundant amphibian wildlife!!

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

list

1) So I tried the offending hoodie sleeve on for a teacher on Monday and it looked better. Can one retain water in their arms? But still too short. So rather than starting a wider sleeve, I'm going to rip this one back and make it longer. (insert joke about girth vs length here). So yay.

2) I used a loom!!! I'm helping with a fiber arts class and she brought in her loom! It was so neat. The work it takes to get started is a mess, but once everything is ready it was really easy and fun. But knitting still wins the contest for affordability and portability. I'm trying to talk her into teaching classes at some point in the future. She's a whiz.

3) I'm making another pair of fetching wrist warmer/mits for a postal employee who takes lessons at work 2. They are quick and pretty. A nice break from pink acrylic/wool blend.

4) I got a sewing machine. A lady at work gave it to me because she has a new one. I took it into the shop to get some quirks worked on. I was really brave before it was fixed, now I don't know what to do with it. I want to make R some pajama pants... I think I'll start with that.

5) I signed up for a charity blanket swap, where a blanket gets passed to various knitters who knit a bit and pass it on. I'm a bit nervous since I've never done a pass along type thing, but it should be fine. heh. Perhaps I'll make the roomie knit some.





6) for Jessi: Toshi's Ramen is a good reason to come to Eugene. It is the best. I'll take a picture of it's deliciousness the next time we go.

Sunday, March 18, 2007

sunshiny day




















My back yard..

sleeves in progress

My latest exciting project is a cropped shrug/hoodie from craftster. I loved the look and even bought yarn in a similar color. Everything was going swimmingly until the sleeves. I finished one but it looked a little small, so I stitched it up. Well it fits... but I wouldn't be able to wear anything under it... ever. My gauge is the same as that on the pattern, so maybe I just have hulk-ish arms (I think, but gauge swatches are not my forte). If you look at the picture on the pattern, she even has some loose fabric around the elbow, I did not.
So I'm starting the next sleeve but cast on an extra ten stitches. If that is better I'll frog sleeve number one and re-do it. Wow. Modifying a pattern. I feel like a real live knitter. I think I might do three inches of rib instead of the two inches called for in the pattern also... hmmm.
I'm using budget yarn (Plymouth Encore worsted weight 75% acrylic 25% wool) which is kind of hairy so frogging is going to be a pain in my butt. My dream yarn would have been Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran, but then I would have a $60 sweater rather than a $20 sweater. And who can afford that stuff!!

Saturday, March 17, 2007

first post

This blog has two purposes:
1) gratify my need to post my knitting experiences on the internet and maybe participate in some discussions, leading to new skill acquisition.
and
2) to use pictures and my amazing (ha!) writing ability to convince my bestfriend and her husband to move to Eugene, Oregon or the surrounding area.
Knit on so they will Cast off!!