Saturday, April 26, 2008
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Thursday, April 17, 2008
A Change of Plans
This morning, I also made sugar cookies because a few of us were all going to have our last day of work. The cookies were because my one friend wanted "Last Day of Work Cake." I didn't have all of the ingredients in the house for a cake, but I did have the ingredients for these cookies. They are quite possibly the easiest cookies I've ever made and I just love the way they all crinkled. They're crispy on the outside and nice and smushy in the middle. And everyone who tasted them loved them. Not what I should have been doing this morning, but it worked out.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Hugs on the 2 Train
I got my Smile Cards in the mail on Thursday of last week. There were ten of them. In much the same way that my mom always used to say my brother’s birthday money would be “burning a hole in his pocket,” the Smile Cards were truly burning a hole in my pocket. I found myself thinking about them – to whom would I give them, what would I say, would I have to create a reason, or would one present itself? As of yesterday, I still hadn’t given even one Smile Card away. It was frustrating me, and I was thinking that I might just not be looking hard enough for the right SO (Smile Opportunity). Then yesterday, when I went into the post office to mail my taxes (I’d only been carrying them around with me for 10 days…) the woman working there, finding herself confronted with a long line of people, was, well, not her usual bubbly self. I handed her one and said, “I know people must be driving you crazy this time of year – whenever they do, you can look at this and it can help make you feel better.” I felt okay about that SO, but it wasn’t phenomenal. I was wondering if maybe I wasn’t doing something right.
But then, this morning happened. I entered the 2 train at
Sunday, April 13, 2008
I'm bored with my blog
And, randomly, I'm craving milk.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Knit Your Own Karma
I ordered the Smile Cards after seeing the post on Steph's blog, "Girl Meets Yarn" http://theadventuresofknitpearl.blogspot.com/ about her random acts of kindness. I guess I was sort of on the lookout for good things to be able to do. Wednesday morning, my friend said she wasn't feeling well. She had been sick since the weekend, and was really feeling terrible. When she went into her office, one of her co-workers said, "You don't look that bad." What she wanted was sympathy, she said. What she wanted was for someone to offer to get her chicken soup. So I called a local deli near her office and had them send her chicken noodle soup, a sandwich and a soda. She was very excited about it.
What's your good deed of the day?
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Humbling Knitting: It Helps to Read the WHOLE Pattern
Before I figured it out, though, I tried it on size 4 needles, thinking maybe that would make the difference. I then realized that I had done it wrong, and ultimately decided to do it on the size 8s once I did it the right way. I liked it on the 4s, but the needles are *really* small if I want to be able to finish it in time to give it to my friend before the end of finals (and actually study for my finals, too...)
This is the pattern on the size 4s:
Ironically, I guess because of the way the photographs are, I don't know that you can actually tell the difference between the size four needles (above) and the size 8s (below).
This is what the pattern is supposed to look like. I like it a lot more now that I did it the right way...
Also, I still think this pattern really deserves a darker color. Someday, maybe if I ever make anything for myself... A nice solid dark in a bamboo, cotton or silk would be nice, on small needles. But I think when I do really spend the money and make something for myself, it should be more than a scarf.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
The Times Square Shuffle
I still think it sounds like the name of a band...
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot
Monday, April 7, 2008
Up Close & Personal
This scarf, like so much that I have been doing recently, comes from SMarieKnits. Surprise, surprise -- most of the patterns I have been doing lately have been hers. They're fantastic. Easy patterns that look complex and fancy, but that I can actually manage to work my way through.
This is the Asherton Scarf. http://smariek.blogspot.com/2006/09/asherton-reversible-scarf.html
However, it doesn't look anything like hers. :( I know that's not a prerequisite in a scarf, but I chose the Asherton because I liked the way it looks. I wonder if mine might look more like the prototype if it were done on smaller needles. The problem isn't so much that it needs to look like the original as that I don't know if I like it the way it is. And so I ask your opinions:
1. Should this be on smaller needles?
2. Should this be narrower (it's nearly 6.5" wide now, which would probably be helped by smaller needles.
3. Is this the right pattern for this color (the color requested by my friend) or does this pattern look too much like a baby blanket in this light lilac)?
4. If not this pattern, any suggestions for a free, easy-ish pattern like this one?
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Big Blue Wrecking Crew
Andrew had originally asked for a scarf in "Giant's Blue." He then changed his mind and decided that he needed more of a tannish mustardy color because then he could wear it all the time. But I decided that he shouldn't be deprived of having a scarf for during the football season, too. So I made him this, in Giant's Blue (also known as "Red Head Blue" or alternatively "Olympic Blue" in other earlier posts). It's just a five by five waffle knit, and I'm almost done with it. It's been a nice easy fast knit. I'm debating whether or not to block and iron it. I like the bumps of the waffle knit itself but I don't necessarily love the way the edges look. They're a little un-finished looking. Granted, I don't know if they'll be any better if I do block it.
And then I'll find more black yarn in my stash and get to finishing Matt's Rutgers scarf. After the bar, I'll think about making something more complex. But not until then. Until then, I may or may not make anything, but if I do, certainly nothing more complex than like a 2x2 rib scarf...