Old Year, New Project

I got a great deal on some chenile, so I'm doubling it up and knitting
a SUPER chunky throw blanket. [Side Note: It's going to look a LOT
like a product from, um, "Ceramics Farmhouse" shall we say. I'll post
a pattern when I've worked it all out.]
Also, Happy New Year!!!

Spring ... um, springs eternal?

Well, at least the flowers are fooled by the central heating :-)

Bonus: no crap accumulating on the dining room table (yet)!

...I thought you would be shinnier

I received Free Range Knitter as a Christmas gift and I must say, I thought it would be bigger.  You know, like "coffee table" books are.  With glossy pages.  I'm not sure why I thought this and I am certainly not disappointed with the little gem of knitting humor and life lessons that showed up in snowman paper under the tree.  I'm zipping right through it and enjoying every page!

Knitting philosophy has never been done better.  It also really makes me think about things I probably wouldn't have thought to think about before.  Yeah, deep, I know.

There is a particular chapter where she talks about being a young, yarn-poor knitter that I can really relate to (gee, I wonder why?).  I must say though, yarn really has come a looong way since the plastic crap she describes and some acrylic these days is pretty darn good.  It's not wool, or alpaca, but it's being the best it can be.

[Side Note: Thank the yarn-gods for the advent of internet yarn stores that email sale info and coupons!  That's how I got the Noro cashmere blend for my striped scarf for <$15!]

I get to have occasional tastes of the "good life" but I can manage within my means too.  As a matter of fact, the Practice Sweater (of Summer 08 fame) has turned into my go-to sweater for around the house.  It cost me about $8.00 in yarn to make and it is holding up remarkably well (with a little fuzzing that I don't mind at all).  

One day, money will be less scarce and I'll have more knitting freedom, but I think the knitting joy will stay the same :-)  Thanks Stephanie Pearl-McPhee for a thoughtful, philosophical knitting book that is most deserving of great big glossy pages and a position of prominence on the coffee table!

P.S. Thanks for the book mom!

Eggnog, not from a carton

I've never liked the mass produced eggnog that appears on store shelves this time of year, so I make my own. You can leave out the bourbon if it doesn't suit your tastes (or you might prefer rum, or cognac instead, and that's ok too!).
Eggnog

8 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
2 cups half-and-half
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 ½ cups milk
3 ounces bourbon (or more, depending on how “festive” you like it)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
4 egg whites*

In a double boiler over medium heat, beat the egg yolks until they lighten in color. Gradually add the 1/3 cup sugar and continue to beat until it is completely dissolved and the mixture is warmed through.

Combine the milk, heavy cream, half-and-half, vanilla, and nutmeg and cook (stirring frequently) until the mixture reaches 160 degrees F. Remove from the heat, stir in the bourbon, pour into a medium mixing bowl, and set in the refrigerator to chill.

In a medium mixing bowl, beat the egg whites to soft peaks. With the mixer running gradually add the 1 tablespoon of sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Whisk the egg whites into the chilled mixture. Enjoy within a few days and be sure to store it in the fridge, covered.

* And if you're looking for something to do with the 4 extra egg whites, you can always make macaroons!
[Side Note: It's delicious, but not exactly low fat. Eh, it's the holidays, might as well live a little. It's got a whole lot of protein!]

Here comes the ice age...

It was a "snow-day" in Las Vegas yesterday. The snow came down heavily on Monday and again Wednesday, but it never stuck around for accumulation to happen. They closed the schools anyways, thereby triggering a bright sunny day with no snow! Good job CCSD. This is the only snow-day I've ever seen in Las Vegas and it didn't even pan out. I'm not complaining though, snow and I aren't exactly compatible (you know, in the "I really really hate it" sort of way).

In other news, the blog managed to fix itself. Really. I didn't touch a single thing and all of a sudden it loads again. Story of my life.

I have been up to so much knitting: The Never-ending Afghan has eaten two more yarn cakes, I've jumped on the Noro-stripe-scarf bandwagon, I invented (not designed) a sock pattern for the Draco yarn (with no green), and I've begun and ripped a worsted weight slipper-sock for my brother twice (they aren't a Christmas gift, so I'm not in a hurry). [Side Note: Don't feel bad for him though, I made him a chunky ribbed hat for a quick & easy gift!]

These could all be blog posts on their own so consider this a glimpse into the future.

I broke the blog apparently

Well, I can't access the blog page from Firefox.  I assume that I have done something to trigger this, but I don't know what.  The page loads partially, then everything grinds to a halt.  I'll struggle through on Safari until this 1) gets fixed or 2) resolves itself.  [Side Note: Since I'm not actively doing anything to fix this, my money is on option 2.]

What I do when I forget to blog for a while ...

I walk around and take pictures of random things. That's what I do.
Clearly there is a non-muggle among us at the office, and they are well versed in the yarn arts.
There's no way to judge the scale, but trust me, some of these pieces are quite large.
And why do snowmen need brooms? I'm not totally sure, but I don't think snow is something that can be swept. Correct me if I'm wrong.






My favorite ones have fringe on their scarves!
[Side Note: I wonder if whoever made these is on ravelry...]

Sometimes the best gifts are the ones you get for yourself

There's just something so inherently satisfying about winding yarn
into neat little cakes! As you can see, I got myself a Royal yarn
ball winder as a birthday gift to myself. The best part is that it
was half off [Side Note: If you sign up for email updates, the craft
stores will flood your inbox with coupons. Sometimes 2 or 3 a day.
Sometimes it is annoying. Every now and again, though, it comes in
handy.]. The only downside is that I'm running out of yarn to wind.

Tag, I'm it!

I have been tagged for the disclosure of 7 random facts about myself by the lovely SusanB-knits.
[Side Note: I've added your blog to my reader and blog-roll! Love it!]

Now for the scoop:
1. I am perhaps a little competitive when it comes to arts&crafts projects. I don't get very many creative outlets in my chosen field(s) of study, so I tend to over-compensate when given the chance. Like by bringing fondant to a sorority gingerbread decorating contest and creating historically accurate representations of the founding sisters. Um, yeah, I won though!

2. I cannot carry a tune in a basket! I have no musical inclinations. None. So, in 5th grade when all the other girls in my class were in "Honor Choir" I didn't even try out. I never had to go to school early to 'practice' and I got to have extra recess with the boys (who were way more fun anyway!) when they would 'practice' some more before a big 'concert'.

3. Number 2 (above) is not going to stop me from getting Guitar Hero World Tour complete with drums and karaoke mic. I apologize to the neighborhood dogs in advance.

4. I dream in color. I had no idea that this was a somewhat rare occurrence for people, but I always have.

5. I like my tea with milk and sugar. Coffee ... eh, not so much. Diet Coke, right out of the can.

6. I'm allergic to more than my fair share of things. Wool too, a little bit. That's why Cortisone 10 is in the stashket with the WIPs. *itch* *itch* *itch*

7. The laboratory on Dexter's Laboratory is my dream lab. Is it weird to have a dream lab? How about an imaginary house on the cape?

I don't know all that many of you out there in blogland (not well enough to reach out and tag), so forgive me for breaking the chain! But if you want to be tagged, consider yourself tagged! You're it!

Why am I so absent?

It has been far too long since I've sat down and blogged about anything. We had a great Thanksgiving here, including the best, most moist turkey we have ever made [Side Note: I will brine everything from now on. If it stays still long enough, it will get brined. Seriously.], and pumpkin cheesecake and pumpkin pie!

That doesn't mean that there haven't been bloggable things going on, far from it. I just haven't. Oops!
Let's get back on track then shall we?

This tiny knitted tube is made on US 1 dpns, from a yarn sample that was sent out with a yarn purchase I made. It was a Halloween colorway, something like "very scary" but I lost the little card that came with it. While it looks purposeless from this angle, I assure you, it is a highly functional little knit-ring!I made it for the purpose of holding onto my cable needle when I'm doing cable work. Instead of putting the cable needle in my mouth. Which is unsanitary, blech! And I needed that cable needle to make myself a Koolhaas hat! I have had the pattern in my ravelry queue for a long time and I'm so glad that I finally got around to it. I really really tried to learn to cable without a cable needle for this project, but it just wasn't happening. Notice also the vase with decorative pebbles where my needles supposedly reside, ha! The needles have migrated all over the house by now, oops.

The hat is too big for me, but that won't stop me from folding up the brim and wearing it anyway! This was one fun and challenging pattern to knit, so I expect that I will make 3 or 4 more before it's out of my system. Perhaps one of them will end up being the right size?Also, a bookmark! Made on US 1, 16 sts, 1x1 rib out of HP Opal Dumbledore remnant.

Hey,What Ever Happened To ...

Wondering what ever happened to the finished pictures of the Wee Wizard Wrobe?
It's completely finished, but I still don't have anyone to try it on. I thought of asking the neighbors, but they are not HP people in the least. And without context the sweater just doesn't make sense.

Anyone out there in blog land know someone who would appreciate a middle sized Harry Potter themed baby sweater? Oh well, it was worth a try.

The pictures aren't so good. They came from my iPhone camera and I maybe used too much extra lighting too. Black yarn is proving quite difficult to photograph.

[Side Note: This is my 100th blog post! Yay me! And here's to the next 100! *clink*]

Twenty-Four

Well, I'm 24 years old now. That's officially and inextricably "grown-up" territory. But at least it comes with cake! Yesterday was my birthday, but no blogging occurred, so I'll make up for it today with a tempting picture of cake.

Dumbledore Socks are finished

I finished the second sock tonight and here they are, taking a soak in
the bathroom sink. The stripe pattern matched up with an exactness
that will continue to amaze me for a long time :-)

These were made from the Opal HP Dumbledore colorway using the
Quidditch sock pattern by Lauren Kent, but I stopped and bound off
before the calf increases (the pattern = knee socks, which are nifty
but I didn't think I'd have enough yarn).

[Side Note: The colors are great, but they just don't represent
Dumbledore to me for some reason. I love these socks despite that
though!]

Shopping days? More like knitting days.

Well, there are 47 knitting days until Christmas (or insert your holiday here). I haven't done much gift-knitting in the past because typically gifts are something that the recipient should appreciate :-D But the ol' knitting skills have improved a lot over the last year so I'm thinking of knitting a few gifts this year. Simple things, like a hat or scarf. Maybe a few of those bookmark scarves. They were quick and easy, but still novel (they also give me an excuse to buy books for people, even when they might rather have video games or iTunes *cough* brother *cough*).

My mom is the proud owner of a pair of maroon mittens from last year. They certainly took me a long time to make, but looking back on them I'm so proud that I did! Even though they are super thick and perhaps better suited to the frozen tundra of Siberia. Her hands are always cold though.

So this year, I'm coming up with a few knitted items for select family members and friends who might enjoy a hat, scarf, or bookmark. I'm not the world's fastest knitter, but I do work well under deadlines. Let the holiday knitting begin!

ICHC Loose Thread

One loose thread and it all comes apart! This could be a deep metaphor, but really it's just a funny cat picture :-)

Best Weekend Ever!

Weekends like the one I just had make me wish I was a "journal" type person. You know, the type to write down all of the wonderful details so that they can be recalled and relived. But who are we kidding, I can barely blog on a consistent basis! Also, I can't 'misplace' the blog, haha!

I went back to my Alma Mater USC for homecoming and got to see all (most) of my favorite friends and sisters and revel in the LA-ness of the city. Campus, the Coliseum, The Grove and Farmer's Market, everything a little different but still very much the same. Sigh (of contentment)! I'm sure that I walked around grinning like a tourist/fool for 2 straight days, so lost in my own reminiscing. Also, it's unbelievably wonderful to have friends who appreciate your dorky accomplishments :-)

For anyone who remembers, the sweater I intended to finish for homecoming did not get done. As a matter of fact, I realized that the sleeve I had already finished was too short and ripped it back out. I also decided that knitting it in the round would be much better. So, I have less of it done than before, but this is ok with me, because it was waaay too warm for a sweater anyway. Pause and think about that for a moment: waaay too warm for a sweater, in November. I'm going to enjoy this 'global warming' thing :-D [Side Note: Yes, I do understand the "science" of this phenomena. Yes, I'm determined to enjoy it, because the next thing coming down the climatological pike is an Ice Age. Not that any of us will be around to see it.]


I also thought I could pop into a LYS while I was there, but nothing opens before noon on Sundays and by then I was already enjoying a smoked salmon, scrambled egg white, cream cheese and caper crepe with more of my favorite people. Then I had to drive back home and get ready for the week to start.

New and 'Improovd'

Because everyone loves the prize inside!

Also, "It seemed like a good idea at the time ..." says mauling victim, film at eleven.

Tomorrow, I seam

I (finally) finished the second sleeve of the Wee Wizard robe. Tomorrow I'm going to seam everything up and have myself a finished object, yay! A little 'blocking' and weaving of ends and I'll add some much needed final measurements to the pattern.

I wonder if it bothers people when I update the pattern, just for aesthetics reasons. There aren't dire changes like "oops, I forgot to tell you to do something vitally important" but when I noticed that the indents were wrong, I fixed it. And when I had some finished measurements, I added them. I hope I'm not aggravating people. I'll just do one final update with all of the pictures, pretty text boxes, and other fancy inclusions and call it the Rich Format, and re-name the original "Plain Text". That way people can look at the fancy one, but print the simple one and save ink. There, justification :-D

Dumbledore Socks!

I've been a little gun-shy with the HP yarn, not wanting to 'waste' it
on something unworthy. So to work out the excitement/nerves I'm
making myself a pair of toe-up Dumbledore socks. There's nothing more
'worthy' than socks where TLG Dumbledore is concerned :-)

I can't seem to take a good picture.

No, not of myself. I'm somewhat photogenic really. Even my driver's license photo looks good! I'm talking about how I can't point my camera at something and capture a decent likeness on film. The camera is average across the board, so it has to be User Error, a.k.a. I'm the problem.

[Side Note: In an example of irony-and-coincidence that makes me laugh, I saw a license plate the other day that read 'vampyr1' so I decided to take a picture (for one of those aforementioned college friends), but guess what, the plate doesn't show up at all! Oooooh! Though, it could be because I took the photo while moving, in traffic, with my phone. I followed this guy quite a bit out of my way trying to get a picture, and I think I started to creep him out. Oops!]

I located and read the entire book that came with the camera and fiddled with my settings. They are all in order now, but still no quality pictures. Now that traditional research has failed me, I'll have to turn to the internet:

Dear Google,
how to take digital pictures that look great with the average camera I already have, free, no new equipment.
No, I'm not "feeling lucky".
GO!