Absorba, The Great Bathmat--F.O.

Thanks to the aforementioned Law & Order: SVU marathon, it's a wrap. I mean, a mat. Presented outside of its natural habitat because 14 year old DD refuses to give up the bathroom for a photo op (she's still in there, even as I blog). The stats: 20"x28", 11 hard-earned logs including the center. I used some truly ancient Patons Chunky Cotton (I think it's been discontinued) in a grimy footprint-forgiving army green. Since some balls were partial, it's hard to tell exactly how much was eaten, but I'd guess 8 100 gram skeins, triple-stranded, on size 15 needles. The toe-squishing result was worth the pain, but when DH suggested another for the kitchen, I laughed until he backed away, slowly.

Absorba The Great Bathmat--Still in Progress

I like my Absorba. I really do (and, clearly, Judy does too). But I must admit I liked it a lot more when I thought I was three ridges away from being done.

You know those rhetorical questions you realize you shouldn't have asked the second they leave your big mouth? Like when you run into your crotchety neighbor and you say "How are you?" expecting the requisite "Fine, and you?" but instead you get a litany of aches and pains and accusations of neglect?

Well, there I was doing a final sizing and toe-squish test run when DH walks in the room. What I should have said: "Nice bathmat, huh?" What I said (rhetorically): "Do you think it's big enough?" What he said: "Could you add a little more?"

So, with heavy heart, blistering fingers, running out of yarn and lesson learned, I need to go on to the rectangular version. Must. Haul. One. More. Log. Praise the TV gods there's a Law & Order: SVU marathon tomorrow.

Tasty Link of the Week--Law & Order Placemats

In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups—the Police who investigate crime, and the District Attorneys who prosecute the offenders. These are their stories. (doink-doink).

Not sure how I missed this one the first time around...found on Craftster, a thread on these absolutely awesome knitted Law & Order placemats. I bow to the creator, who claims it's her first time doing intarsia. If you scroll through the thread, you'll find the charts, along with a link to the Law & Order Coloring Book that inspired them. But wait, there's more. Ah, craftsters...is there nothing they can't do? Bonus link for SVU fans: Sesame Street's Law & Order: Special Letters Unit. Check out the most excellent Munch muppet.

Bingo!

I told you going back to work bites. Someday I'll start a blog about how ludicrous the NYC nursery and ongoing school admissions process is (those of you who've read 100 Things About Me might recall that my job is judging two year olds for their suitability to enter nursery school and then usher them on to ongoing schools that will ensure their entry into Harvard, Yale and Princeton), but for now, in the weeks after Labor Day that kick off the official Admissions Season, I haven't had time to blog my knitting and have barely had time to knit it (of course, a couple of washrags have been on and off the needles, but with Fall I am craving a big wooly project). But enough whining--there's good news: 35 days and counting to the NYS Sheep and Wool Festival, a.k.a Rhinebeck, sort of the Woodstock of knitting. Rhinebeck has become a birthday tradition for me (October 18th if you keep track of these things), since we have wonderful friends with a wonderful house near Rhinebeck who host us for the weekend. I've always admired knitters who return from Rhinebeck with fiber-laden satchels and an organized list of several winters-worth of projects...as much as I love it, I tend to wander the barns aimlessly in a yarn-induced stupor, paralyzed by choice and slinking back to the city with a skein or two with no designated purpose, tossed into my motley (but much beloved) stash. Also, I've always wanted to make connections with all those kindred spirits tramping through the sheep muck with variegated stars in their eyes, but it seems so...geeky (if not downright stalkerish) to go up to somebody and say "Hey, I love your Clapotis, can I touch it?" This year, however, things will be different. The intrepid Stitchy McYarnpants has come up with a brilliant scheme to link us all: Rhinebeck Blogger Bingo (check out the link to see how it works, one of the many results of my not having attended church enough is that I don't understand Bingo). Thanks, Stitchy; I'll be there and I'll be square!

Summer's Last Ballband

An ode to the ballband warshrags of summer (with apologies to Danny and Sandy):

Summer ballbands, had me a blast
Summer ballbands, knit up so fast
Dishcloth cotton cheap as can be
Mason-Dixon, the book for me
Summer days, knitting away
But oh...back to work and it bites

Well-a, well-a, well-a , uh!...OK, I'll stop now. Thanks, Ann and Kay, for a summer of carefree knits.

Tasty Link of the Week--Handknit on the Red Carpet

And the winner is...The Knitting Heretic! Annie Modesitt, one of my knitcrushes, created this stunning dress that worked the red carpet at the Emmy Awards. Worn by the stunning Ami Brabson, wife of the stunning Andre Braugher, who won for Best Actor in a Miniseries for Thief (we forgive you for that Poseidon remake mistep). More details on the dress on Annie's blog. How cool is that?

My 100th Post

It's my 100th Blog Post! No prizes or anything, I'm just sayin'. Is it just me, or does summer seem to end sooner every year? Drove the oldest child back to college yesterday, prepping the younger two for re-entry, DH has been officially annointed as High School Principal and me--I'll be back at work judging 2 year olds as prospective nursery schoolers on Monday. Sigh. On the other hand, there's good stuff about the coming of the New Year (although not Jewish, I have adopted Rosh Hashanah as the logical start to the new year, calendar be damned--back to school means a new beginning).

Picked up a copy of the Fall 2006 Interweave Knits; while nothing grabbed me by the lapels and shouted "make me," and I'm not quite ready to give up my Mason-Dixon obsession, I do feel my fingers tingling to get back into some wool. There are certainly enough UFOs mewling for attention, and Rhinebeck is just around the corner.

Oh, and it's my wedding anniversary. 21 years of bliss, and I wouldn't change a thing. Not even tempted by reports that Bruce and Patti are on the rocks. We've always been cuter, anyway:

Survivors Ready...Yo!

Oh no they di'n't. Taking a break from knitting content to report on my second favorite pastime...TV watching. On this morning's CBS Early Show, my secret crush Jeff Probst announced the twist for the upcoming season of Survivor: they're dividing the tribes by race. I don't know whether to laugh or cry--aw, hell yeah I do...I'm laughing my ass off. It's yet another case of being careful what you wish for: the multicolored family and I (dedicated Survivor watchers all...sorry folks, but Project: Runway is just a way to fill in the gap between seasons) have long complained about the lack of diversity on the show and, Cerie aside, the lack of viable black role models for the kids to root for (oh, who am I kidding--they don't care...I'm the one who rants about this stuff). Anyway, I'm scared--can you imagine what the Fox Network is dreaming up right now?--but I for sure am watching. Would feel more comfortable if the tribes of color got to choose the turf (Survivor: 131st and Lenox, 3 am y'all), and definitely dreading the singing of Kumbaya when the tribes merge, but it will be...something completely different.

Now, speaking of something really worth watching, do not miss rebroadcasts of Spike Lee's When the Levees Broke on HBO.

Terror Alert Ballband Dishcloth

As promised, the Terror Alert Ballband Dishcloth, presented here by The Colbert Report (if you’d like Stephen Colbert to showcase your very own FO’s, go here for the Threatdown Generator). The three of you who read this blog (hi, Mom) might remember that the finished product was promised to splindarella, who correctly guessed the significance of the color scheme in a contest entry below. OK, so she was the only entry, but she’s still a winner. I figure if you gotta go, you might as well go with clean dishes.

Snakes on a Plane Update: With two teenaged boys in the house, even extremely cyniclal ones, there was no way I wasn't going to see it on opening weekend. So, while DH snuck off to the Lincoln Plaza Cinema to see something arty (smell him), there I was at Magic Johnson on 125th Street with a rowdy talk-back-to-the-screen audience. The good news: I only had to look away fron the icky action and pretend to be engrossed in my Mason-Dixon Ballband Dishcloth a couple of times. The bad news: well, there really isn't any bad news. It's exactly what one would expect--snakes...on a plane...a good-bad toss your popcorn in the air experience if you can suspend your cinematic scruples. Slate Magazine’s review has an interesting slant: a reading of Snakes on a Plane as a post-9/11 allegory.

Tasty Link of the Week--Snakes on a Knitter

I know, I know... Snakes on a Plane is officially over. My darling son, self-appointed God of the Internets, has proclaimed so on his blog. However, I couldn't resist a Google image search for "Snakes on a Knitter," and came up with this hinged-jaw-dropping website for Adele Recklies, who does custom knitting, crochet and beadwork for theater and film. The 15' 6" beaded snake at left took her over a little more than a year to make. And I complained last night when my middle son asked me to knit him a pirate eyepatch for camp dress-up day (it only took me one and a half Law and Order SVU reruns to finish...take that Adele).

...and all i got was this lousy warshrag

A highway patrolman pulled alongside a speeding car on the freeway. Glancing at the car, he was astounded to see that the Mason-Dixon KAL Member behind the wheel was knitting! Realizing that she was oblivious to his flashing lights and siren, the trooper cranked down his window, turned on his bullhorn and yelled , "PULL OVER!" "NO!", the Mason-Dixon KAL Member yelled back, "IT'S A WARSHRAG!"

Maybe you sort of had to be there. Anyway, I'm back from the much anticipated Nova Scotia vacation, experiencing the to-be-expected letdown. Knitwise, all I did was this one ballband dishcloth, which I had fully intended to finish in time to leave as a gift for our guest house hosts, but gin & tonics, lobster and good-bad Canadian TV got in the way so it traveled back with me to NYC (in all its blurry glory, I have dubbed it "The Grapes of Warsh"). I did hit a couple of nice yarn stores on the way (The Loop Craft Cafe in Halifax; Have a Yarn in Mahone Bay), but I did more fondling than buying...saving my money for the aforementioned G&T's and lobster. I did have a wonderful time, but it's good to be home with my stash. I've always been something of a loser with the vacation shots, preferring to live in the moment, but here are the few I took:
First, the obligatory "Guard at the Halifax Citadel" shot. He was such a photo op I felt guilty not taking it and feared they would take away my tourist card if I didn't make goofy faces to get him to smile. I did and he didn't.
Then, there was this weird-ass statue near the harbor. It had something to do with turned-away immigrants, but I liked it because it reminded me of the Dementors in Harry Potter. If the Dementors served pie instead of sucking souls.
And finally, the picture postcard shot (OK, so I cut off the top spire) of the Lunenberg Academy in...well, Lunenberg, a seaport town settled and still populated by an alarming number of German expats. We never got to go inside for the tour, but it was pretty impressive for an elementary school. At least, they claim it's an elementary school, but I suspect some sort of Boys from Brazil thing going on. To this native New Yorker, the folks in Lunenberg were very friendly...too friendly. Which is why I'm so rarely allowed on vacation. Canada rocks, however. Even if we did have to leave behind our gels and toothpaste to get back home.

Vacation All I Ever Wanted

Well, I'm heading off to the yarn shops...er...wilds of Nova Scotia for a week, so if you're looking for updates (yeah, right), there won't be any. But feel free to leave a comment with best wishes, hot gossip or (especially) prize notifications and we'll catch up as soon as I get back! xoxoxT

Tasty Link of the Week - I Pity the Fool

Since I've been doing an inordinate amount of web-surfing lately, and inspired by the glorious blog re:knit and the late lamented You Knit What??, I've decided to add a new feature: the Tasty Link of the Week. I'll aim for weekly updates, but I have a warped sense of time.

Enough jibba jabba--let's get to it: the folks at craftster.org laid down the challenge--best sock monkey ever. In a strong field, the undisputed champion: I Pity the Fool, a heart-stopping likeness of the one, the only Mr. T (I bow to the winner, and be sure to scroll through the other entries--wonderful stuff).

Absorba in Progress

If someone had told me a few months ago I would be knitting a bathmat using three strands of thick cotton on giganormous needles, I would have said "Ummm...no." But, this being the summer of all things Mason-Dixon Knitting, I find myself turning the corner on the Absorba. It's a gratifying project in a put-upon fairy tale princess way; as I slog through I keep waiting for some dwarfish gnome dude to pop up and demand that I guess his name or he'll take my firstborn. Whatever, it's really good for mopping up sweat. Here it is, in progress, surrounded by newly acquired cheapo cotton stash for more more more warshrags. I am into naming my ballband dishcloths these days--draped on the stash up top behold The Grapes of Warsh.

By the way, I promise a Ballband Dishcloth to the first person who can tell me what the row of colors on the left represents (for the record, and since my digital camera takes sucky pictures, those colors are Green, Blue, Yellow, Orange and Red. In that order.).

Baby Ballband Pillbox Hat

When is a warshrag not a warshrag? When it’s a baby hat! Never one to leave well enough alone, I’ve converted the ever-popular Mason-Dixon Knitting Ballband Dishcloth into a knit-in-the-round dome cover. Totally impractical of course—any self-respecting baby would fling it off in a heartbeat—but easily adaptable to larger sizes. No baby available to model, so I used a box of grits…that’s the Dixon in this NYC girl coming through.

Semi-Homemade Pattern:

Size: Baby. To size up, cast on extra stitches in multiples of six. Since you’re knitting in the round, forget about the extra edge stitches at the end of the flat pattern.
Materials: Worsted weight cotton of your choice in at least two colors (I used three colors here, but the pattern is written for two: Color A and Color B). Less than a 1.5 oz skein of each.
16 inch circular needle size 7, plus extra circular needle or set of double points for decreasing.
Gauge: Meh, just knit…it’ll fit somebody.

With Color A, cast on 60 stitches. Join and place marker. Purl two Rounds, and begin Ballband Pattern, joining Color B on Row 3.

Here’s the Semi-Homemade part: Ever mindful of copyright and giving props, I implore you to seek out Ann and Kay’s Mason-Dixon Knitting or buy yourself a ball of Peaches and Crème from the folks at Elmore-Pisgah (the pattern's on the...wait for it...ballband). If your ethics are shaky, an internet search will yield results, but I ain’t giving them here.

The tricky thing is converting the flat pattern to knitting in the round, but basically all you’re doing is reversing the stitches on the wrong side rows, and always slipping with yarn in back (i.e. Rounds 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11 are knit as you see them; on the even Rounds 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12, purl where it says to knit and always bring your yarn to the back to slip the stitch and move it forward again to continue purling).

Do 2 complete rounds of Rows 1-12 of the Ballband pattern, and then repeat rows 1-8.

Back to the Homemade part:

Purl 2 rounds. Knit 1 round, marking 4 points (here, the 15th, 30th, 45th and 60th stitches) for decreases. Use split markers, small safety pins or paper clips, because the markers will move with the double decrease** stitch (use a different color marker on the 60th stitch to indicate the beginning of the round).

Commence decreasing: *k to within 1 stitch of marked stitch, dbl dec** (slip one stitch, k 2 together, pass the slipped stitch over the 2 knitted together)*. Repeat around.

K 1 round.

Repeat these two rounds until you have 30 stitches left, changing to double points or 2 circulars when your stitches start cramping. At 30 stitches, start decreasing every round until you have 6 stitches left. Break yarn, gather stitches and weave in ends.

That’s all folks: steal it, embellish it, correct it--but please don’t sell it.

R.I.P. You Knit What??

Apparently, one of my favorite sites in the whole wide blogosphere has bitten the dust. Sure, there are other places out there that celebrate the fugly that is misguided needlework, but nobody did it better than You Knit What?? I will leave them linked in my sidebar forever. Thanks for the ride, guys.

Off to burn a ball of Bernat Disco in honor of my homies.

Mason-Dixon Baby Kimono

Awwww....Heartbreakingly Cute Baby Kimono from Mason-Dixon Knitting; in the background, the ubiquitous Ballband Dishcloth (isn't it amazing how a new warshrag appears on the needles as soon as you've finished one?) and a Ninepatch. For all, I used stash cotton so antique that the ballbands have been long lost (which is one of the many wonderful things about the book--it really doesn't matter so long as it knits up nice). Tarted up the kimono a bit by adding a 3-stitch i-cord tie and a single crochet trim. Onward...I love this book.

Why Didn't I Think of This?

I stumbled across a wonderful blog the other day: re:knit. The blogger describes it as "a knit- blog re-blog"--she gathers the tasty bits from across the web into a sort of knit-blog's greatest hits. Very cool, and saves me a lot of time slogging through my bloglines. Why didn't I think of this (surely not because I'm lazy and lack imagination)?

Oh, and another Elvis Sweater update courtesy of You Knit What??. Be careful what you wish for.

You Know You're Obsessed When...

...you come across a photograph of the soon-to-be-demolished stained glass murals on Terminal 8 at JFK and instead of worrying about how to save them, you start thinking about new color combinations for a Ballband Dishcloth.

Check out Kate A.'s beautiful analysis of the Mason-Dixon knitting phenomenon over at her very purty blog. Wonderful stuff.

Ninepatch Dishrag and Knitting Synchronicity

Since I've been neglecting my blog, I've also neglected to sing the praises of Kay Gardiner and Ann Shayne's Mason-Dixon Knitting. I've been knitting almost exclusively from this book for the past few months as an antidote to my stressed-out melancholic life-related funk: it's fresh (in the sassy sense), funny (in the giggle and annoy the person trying to read in bed next to you sense) and remarkably unfussy (as in the it's OK to knit nothing but garter stitch using cotton you can pick up at your local Wally World [if you were ever going to be so bereft of ethics to step foot in a Wal-Mart--oops, that's me being fussy]). Anyway, I've made the ubiquitous Ball-Band Dishcloths (given away before being photographed but you can see some of Kay's awe-inspiring examples here) and the Heartbreakingly Cute Baby Kimono (peeking out above, waiting to be seamed and trimmed. No babies in the immediate future, so no rush). Just finished this Ninepatch Dishrag, the pattern for which Kay put up on their blog last week.

So here's the synchronicity part: I have the book. I pore over the blog that inspired the book. I lurk on the remarkably active Knit-A-Long. I've seen pictures of Kay, and I've always thought "Gee, she looks so familiar," but chalked it up to that overfamiliarity with public figures that once convinced my husband and his friend Robin that if they could only have tea with Joni Mitchell she would be their Best Friend...but I digress. Last week, Kay posted, with the loveliest photos, about a recent move to Washington Heights, my very neighborhood. So I dropped a comment suggesting a neighborhood knit-in, carefully composing so as not to sound stalkerish. Well, within a few minutes I get an e-mail back...it turns out I do know her! It's a long story and not particularly interesting but the reason she (and her children) look so familiar is because I shepherded them through the grueling paces of the NYC private school admissions process a couple of years ago (it's my job to judge children. I'm not proud, but it's a living. They got in, by the way).

Anyway, the knitting world is a small smelly one. And very sweet.

Elvis Sweater Update

Well, slap my bum and call me Sally. A poke around the internet reveals that I am far from the only one obsessed with the Elvis Sweater. It's been reproduced on playing cards, salt & pepper shakers, shot glasses, and even as a design for...well, a hound dog. I found a revelatory discussion of the garment's origins here; apparently it was worn by Elvis in this scene from Jailhouse Rock and may or may not have been his own garment or acquired from the MGM wardrobe department. Since the movie was in glorious black & white, the original color is in question, but it is most often reproduced in blue. A prototype won a contest on the knit-o-rama blog...it's close, but it's not The Sweater, so I might still drag out my Ann Budd and Barbara Walker and play with some charts. Nothing new under the sun, I guess, especially when it comes to celebrity knits. Or Elvis.

Elvis Sweater

I'm usually pretty imune to celebrity knitting sightings (well, there was Martha's Poncho, but that was a monumentous occasion and anyway it was crochet). Whatever, there's something very compelling about this sweater, worn by Elvis Presley in Jailhouse Rock. I think one of my summer projects might be to deconstruct and chart it (didn't make any promises about actually knitting it, folks). Stay tuned.

All the News That's Fit to Wear

It's not knitting, but it is textile related...DD works the catwalk in an ensemble constructed by a very talented friend entirely from the school newspaper.

Fierce. And informed, too.

Lemon-Lime Hats

T'is hats for the O'Leary boys, my boss's month-old twin nephews. Official photos will follow as soon as their heads are big enough that the hats don't fall over their wee little leprechaun faces. The pattern is another from Handknit Holidays, which I'm finding a most useful year-round book. They call it a Candy Cane Hat, but I had some yellow and green cotton in the stash, so lemon-lime hats it is. Twins--gah!! As I said in my welcome to the world note, when they're older I hope they switch these dome covers around at will to confound the adults in their lives.

A Knitted Wedding

While casting around on the internet for something to blog about, I came upon a site ever so appropriate for the month of June: it's a Knitted Wedding, y'all! Follow the link to read the story (don't miss the gallery at the bottom of the page) and get patterns for all sorts of groovy stuff--even the cake was knitted. The whole thing was the product Cast Off: the Knitting Club for Boys and Girls across the Pond. Those clever Brits: Jane Austen, the Beatles, Brideshead Revisited, Right Said Fred, Ladette to Lady, and now this. I'm inspired, and kind of tired just looking at it.

Baby Bunny Hat

A humble return to blogging. I won't apologize for my absence (did you miss me?); let's just say life got in the way. Anyway, here's a photo of Kelly, daughter of one of DH's colleagues, in the Baby Bunny Hat completed sometime around Christmas. Knit on; so shall I.

I'm Knitting as Fast as I Can

Poke around the blogs and you'll find reports of folks who are blocking the Alice Starmore size 2 needle fair isles they finished the first sleeve on before the flaming skater (not that there's anything wrong with that) made his way around the ring. I've decided to avoid the ubiquitous Progress Report posts...let's just say that here, on Day 3, I have recognizable K2 P2 ribbing. And I'm having fun. See Yarn Harlot's Knitting Olympics Athlete's Pledge. And knit on.

Survivors Ready...Go!

Another button, nabbed here. For all I know it says "Knitting Olympics Sucks," but I like it. Some random notes on the opening ceremony:

• Who wears the best hats? Austria wears the best hats! Love the fun fur toupee look. Am scouring the web for a picture.
• Nothing says Olympics spirit like 70's and 80's disco music. Ah Ah Eh Eh, let's all chant...indeed.
• OK, I totally get the Bode Miller thing. And the solo guy from Ethiopia? Mrrow.
• Whatever happened to the Jamaican bobsled team?
• DH called the Sophia Loren appearence early on, but he figured she'd be lighting the flame.
• What is the deal with Pavarotti's scary eyebrows? And buddy, lip-synch much?
• Yoko Ono. YOKO ONO???

Oh yeah, I cast on and knit a few rows. Go New York go New York go!

Haiku Socks--A Beginning

I managed to get a few inches of cuff on the Haiku Socks from Jessie's yarn. I'm using the basic pattern from Cat Bordhi's Socks Soar on Two Circular Needles, letting the yarn do the work. I'm not much of a sock knitter, but I'm loving the yarn so far...springy enough to hold a rib, soft and sturdy. And the color (bad flash here) is gorgeous. I'll see you after the Olympics, socks. Onward.

Christmas Rose Bag--F.O.

The calm before the Knitting Olympics storm, and the first F.O. of 2006. Christmas Rose Bag from Handknit Holidays. Knit using Lamb's Pride, 4 shades of pink and purple; size 8 circulars. Sucky picture, but I do like the bag. It's holding 9 skeins of the Tahki Donegal Tweed I'm using for the dreaded Saranac. Seriously, what the hell was I thinking? I need a motivational coach (or good drugs).

Go Team New York!

Woo hoo! Modgirl has answered my prayers and formed the Knit Olympics Team New York. I've got my yarn, my needles are heating up, and I'm ready to go. On the other hand, I'm awfully fond of this button posted by Uncle Leona:




A sweater in 16 days? What the hell was I thinking, indeed. (By the way, these buttons and lots of other Knitting Olympics stuff are being anthologized here by Kat with a K. Thanks, Kat, you rock!)

I'm A Poet and I Know It...

I can't help it if I show it. So, Jessie sponsored a contest on her blog: two skeins of gorgeous handpainted sock yarn for a Haiku, and I WON!! Nothing like a prize to boost a girl's ego. You can read my winning entry here, and while you're at it, visit Jessie's website and check out her stuff--it is lush. My yarn arrived a couple of days ago and photos don't do it justice--it positively glows in the skein. Part of the deal is I have to test it out for her so I'm going to try to get a pair of socks on the needles this weekend, although I'll probably only get part of a cuff done before I have to plunge into the Knitting Olympics. I was secretly hoping that Stephanie wouldn't get around to entering me, but there I am on the list committed to a sweater in 16 days. Yeah, right...but maybe a sleeve will get me the bronze. I have a gift certificate to the Mean Girls Yarn Shoppe (you know who you are), so I'm headed out this week to get the goods. I haven't joined an official team yet--I have a hard time getting behind all the USA rah rah flag stuff--but if anyone has come up with a TEAM NYC button I'm so there. In F.O. news, the Christmas Rose bag is blocking over an ice bucket and salad plate as we speak. A couple of miles of i-cord to go and I can stick a fork in it and call it the first finished object of 2006. Photo to follow. Speaking of photos, R.I.P. Coretta Scott King:

Tagged, I'm It

The Christmas Rose bag is creeping along. Part of my excuse for slow progress is that I can't take it with me. I'm used to doing bags from the bottom up, which makes them perfect candidates for take along knitting since they form their own container for the yarn; this bag, lovely as it is, works top-down and is thus somewhat of a PITA to tote. So I started another Multidirectional Scarf (using some Morehouse Merino I scored at the NYS Sheep and Wool Festival back in October). In the meantime, my Knitters Review buddy Kim has tagged me for a meme! I finally feel like one of the popular kids in high school. Here goes:

Four jobs in my life [best to worst]:

1. Waitress at the Brasserie Restaurant in Bennington, Vermont circa 1974. Nothing like coming home with tired feet, free food and money in your pocket.
2. Story analyst for various film companies, circa 1983-1985. I actually got to read books for a living. The perfect work-at-home job, until I had babies and didn't have time to work at home.
3. Word Processing Operator at a NYC corporate law firm. Where, in order to be with the above-mentioned babies during the week, I worked a 35 hour work week in two days. 7am-midnight, Saturday and Sunday. No better way to spoil a weekend than spending it with abusive attornies.
4. Admissions Director at a NYC nursery school. My current job. 275 applications for 30 spots. First stop of the Harvard-Yale-Princeton express. I judge two year olds. I'm not proud.

[I should note: I'm also not complaining. I feel compelled to cite the worst job ever, held by a friend who once labored in a hearing aid factory and had to clean the ear wax and hairs off the appliances returned for repair. Shudder.]

Four movies I could watch over and over:

1. The Godfather. "Leave the gun. Take the cannoli."
2. Dirty Dancing. "Nobody puts baby in a corner."
3. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. "Bring in the FEMBOTS!!"
4. Mommie Dearest. "Tina! Bring me the ax!!"

Four places I have lived:

1. NYC--every place else has been a drive-by, really.
2. Bennington, VT
3. Jaffrey, NH
4. Philadelphia, PA

Four places I have been on vacation:

1. Prince Edward Island, Canada
2. Martha's Vineyard, MA
3. Ocean Grove, NJ
4. Los Angeles, CA

Four websites I visit daily:

1. Knitters Review
2. Gawker
3. Television Without Pity
4. You Knit What?

Four of my favorite foods:

1. Mmmm...Fried Chicken
2. Mmmm...John's Pizza with sausage, peppers, onions and mushrooms.
3. Mmmm...rare, fatty steak
4. Mmmm...lobster. OK--Mmmm...butter.

Four places I'd rather be right now:

1. Prince Edward Island, Canada
2. Martha's Vineyard, MA
3. Ocean Grove, NJ
4. Bruce Springsteen concert, circa 1975. Third row, center.

Four bloggers I am tagging:
(last four knitters to announce new blogs on Knitter's Review):

Jessica
latoyadenise
Prof. Knitwit
Sappmamma

Whew.

Let the Games Begin

After too much whining about my slow pace in 2006, I think I might have found the kick in the pants I need: The Knitting Olympics, organized by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee of Yarn Harlot fame. The challenge: Cast on a project during the Opening Ceremonies of the Winter Olympics (Feb 10), and finish before the Olympic flame goes out (Feb 26). I will be doing a Saranac from the Summer '05 Knitty (the scary men's issue), and I vow to smash the kneecaps of anyone who gets in the way of my needles. The thrill of victory, the agony of the twisted circular cast-on.

New Year, New Knits

The fact that this bag is called "Christmas Rose" and the fact that it's already almost Martin Luther King Day should give you an idea of the slow progress I've been making on my knitting in the New Year. Anyway, here's a beginning, being worked in Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride in varying shades of pink and purple.

Gift Bags

Happy New Year to all. Between the holidays and the NYC Transit Strike and an early season flu and darling daughter breaking her finger playing volleyball and necessitating an emergency room visit and surgery and the holidays I haven't had much time to knit...actually, I have been knitting, just haven't been posting. I've been on a bag kick lately. What is it about girls and bags? The urge to carry stuff around with stuff inside it. The uterus thing seems too obvious; I'm hoping it's something cooler. Anyway, these two gift bags made it in under the wire to be the final F.O.'s of 2005. The little squat one on the right eeks out the last remnants of Noro Silk Garden to contain some stinky (in a good way) soap and candles for a friend. Based on the one that's on the cover of Last Minute Knitted Gifts, adjusted for gauge and pompon tie added. I decided I like the idea of pompons more than the execution. The one on the left is a champagne sweater, utilizing some stash Crystal Palace Tweed and the much maligned but surprisingly useful Bernat Disco. The shape is a simultaneously scaled down and elongated Christmas Rose Bag from Handknit Holidays, which I'm hoping will become my first F.O. of 2006. Stay tuned, if you're interested.

Bunny Baby Hat

All together now: Awwww. Bunny Hat (based on a pattern here) for an expectant co-worker. Used good old fashioned Wool-Ease with Lamb's Pride for the inner ear, size 7 circulars. Cute, huh?

Cookie Monster Drag Queen Scarf

Since I couldn't find a Muppet, here is America's Real Next Top Supermodel, Ms. Joan Rosen, working the Cookie Monster Drag Queen Scarf (based on a pattern found here). Thanks to the intrepid Kim on the Knitters Review forum, I acquired the extra skein of eyeball-bleedin' Bernat Disco needed to finish the dirty deed in time for my mother-in-law's Christmas gift. Whew. Sunglasses off, back to regular knitting.

The Muppet's Revenge

Behold my mother-in-law's nearly finished scarf. Look at the upper left side. Yup...I ran out of eyeball-bleedin' cookie monster in drag Bernat Disco with about three inches to go. Can yarn cackle manically while feeling sweet revenge? If not, then what's that sound? If anyone wants to swap their free ball of Aqua Velvet Bernat Disco, leave me a comment and I'll send a ball of kid silk from my stash along with priority return postage. Sigh.

Thanksgiving (No Knitting Content)

What I cooked: same old stuff as the past 20 years or so, but this is why we like Thanksgiving. Turkey (duh), cornbread and sausage stuffing, macaroni and cheese, sweet potato casserole, collard greens. Gravy. Cranberry Sauce (and it's got to be the smooth kind, from the can). For some reason, this year I feel compelled to blog it all.

How I cook it: the turkey is adapted from an old Jane Brody cookbook that has since disintegrated. Basically, I take a 12-15 lb. bird. Take out the neck and the gizzards (yes, of course I've forgotten once or twice), put in a pot with a chopped onion, a stalk of celery, some seasoning, cover with a jumbo can of chicken broth. This will become gravy. Let the bird sit at room temperature for an hour or so. Sprinkle it with Tony Chachere Creole Seasoning. Make a paste of olive oil, broth, garlic and paprika. Smear it on the bird. For good measure, I also make a paste of 1/2 stick softened butter mashed with some thyme and sage, and smear that on, too. Tent the bird with foil, put it in a 325 degree oven for about 3 and a half hours. Pour some more butter over after the first hour, and every half hour after that. Remove the foil for the last hour or so.

I usually stuff: make a pan of cornbread the night before (3/4 cup cornmeal, 1-1/4 cup flour, 5 t baking powder, 1 t salt, 2 T sugar [4 T if I'm making it to eat]. 1 cup milk, 1 egg, 2 T melted butter. Mix lightly). Let the cornbread sit overnight to dry out. In the morning, fry up a pound of sausage (preferably bulk, but squeezed out hot Italian links will do). Add a good sized onion chopped, two stalks celery chopped. Bell's Seasoning when I can find it, if not chopped fresh or dried thyme and sage. More Tony Chachere. Add to cubed cornbread, let it sit until the Today Show is over and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade starts. Shove a handful or so in the turkey and put the rest in a casserole. An hour or so before dinner, dot with butter, moisten with broth, and stick it in the oven.

During the last hour of the bird, make some greens: a few bunches of collards, washed. Ideally, get them from Smile Deli on 181st Street and Fort Washington Avenue, which pre-washes all its vegetables with great care. Chop a couple of strips of bacon and brown them in a pot. Chop and add the greens (to chop greens roll them into cigar-like strips and slice horizontally). Sprinkle with...more Tony Chachere. Add a couple of tablespoons of sugar and a couple of tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. Cover with about a cup of water, and cook the hell out of them...at least an hour, more doesn't hurt.

When the bird comes out, make macaroni and cheese. Make a light roux out of 2 T butter, 2 T flour. Heat and add about 2 cups of milk. Add about 1/2 pound of cheddar-esque cheese (the best cheese is NYC welfare cheese--the block kind they give you if you're on public assistance--but if you make too much money to qualify any cheese is OK). Sprinkle the faux bechamel with...Tony Chachere (really, I have no affiliation). Turn into a buttered casserole, bake at 375 degrees for 40 mins. or so.

The most variable item on my menu is the sweet potato casserole. This year I used a recipe from Cook's Illustrated involving pre-baked sweets mixed with cream and egg yolks and topped with a streusel. Pretty good, but I'm not sure if it rates a permanent spot on the menu. Time and whether I can find the magazine next year will tell.

Dessert: somebody else's problem.

Onward to the Law and Order marathon.

Ron Weasley says, "Back to Your Knitting"

Went to see Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire this afternoon; I must say it's my favorite of the films. Mike Newell resisted the temptation to follow the book and just gave us a good movie. However, it must be mentioned that He Who Must Not Be Named bears an alarming resemblance to Michael Jackson (come to think of it, Madame Maxime is kind of a nightmare Anna Wintour). Obligatory knitting content: there are new Gryffindor scarves (pictured left), seemingly designed by Voldemort to ensure that all good-hearted knitters go insane through the endless application of stockinette stitch.

All Hail the AntiCraft

the AntiCraft, my new favorite online magazine, has emerged from the knitting underground. Cool patterns (I'm much enamored of Bad Juju, although I'm a bit nervous about knitting him--voodoo bouncing back and all that), plus an appropriate amount of snark. The cover of issue #1 about says it all; check it out.

Fugly Free Yarn Update

It's turning into a scarf for my mother-in-law (ridiculously easy pattern here). Told you I never met a ball of yarn I didn't like. Well, I don't like it exactly, but I don't hate it. It's fuzzy and weird and the color still makes my eyeballs bleed, but it was free and I'm grateful and I think M-in-L will appreciate the bling. I do, however, come close to hating the stash yarn I'm combining it with--Lang Surprise ("Surprise, I'll squeak and split every time you make a stitch") which I don't think exists anymore, praise the yarn gods. Anyway, maybe two wrongs will make a right.