something not-so-new

umm, so those 'new, puffy diamond cables'? yeah, the chart totally calls for them to be knit the usual way. thanks, heroes.

(if you're wondering, i'm going to continue along as-is. it looks good, just different! consider it one of my 'pattern modifications'.)

also, if you knit, read this blog.

a few of my favorite things

i finally had some time last night to spend on valpuri, which is a bit of a marvel. i've knit up diamond cables before, but never quite with this stitch pattern. you basically do a C4B or C4F rather than keeping up with the purls in the pattern. the extra knit stitches are hidden behind the cabled knit stitches and make the cable knits more 'poofy' and 3D. very cool. let's take a close-up look:





i'd had a tough time of this one at the start because i was trying to follow a new-to-me cable pattern while watching heroes. we are almost done with season 1 (netflix!) and it's so engrossing, it's a bit frustrating to have glance down at a cable chart! so last night, while waiting for b to come home, i decided to download the podcast of last week's this american life and listen to that while knitting (much more successful). b and i had the opportunity to see ira glass in person a few weeks back as part of the USC Arts and Humanities Initiative: Visions and Voices series. he was as fantastic in real-time as he is on the radio. USC had tasked him with speaking about "the arts" specifically, so he came prepared with some really insightful pieces on what to expect upon entering a career in the arts - things like how it can take a long time to become truly GOOD at it (he played a hilarious clip from an interview he gave when he was a budding reporter). he also dissected the show for the audience, illustrating the narrative structure and showing how large a role music plays. it was very cool.

(that is also my favorite knitting bag pictured above with valpuri - from the strand in new york!)

have a great weekend!

sometimes i feel like this

i would be so much more motivated to ride my bike if furry animals would join me and clap along to my meanderings! (it would also help if it wasn't always so crazy hot out - or when not hot, raining.)

last night i finished up gretel and i love it! the yarn i used wasn't very drapey so i needed to pin down the back a bit to give it that true beret effect (otherwise it looks like a big colorful cabley puff on my head). photos to come, because the camera was busy last night...

stylized beauty shot!

awkward pose shot!

beige was having way too much fun taking photos - i had to extract her from the camera! anyway, i wanted to take these before i gave up the sweater so that i'd have something to put with the pattern when i finally type it up. i have to say - this sweater is SO soft and the blue sky cotton is surprisingly warm! i love it!

time to finish my teriyaki tofu burger (yum!).

...and unintended things*

so much for the hoodie



but new things make the bad memories go away


yep, that's really a new project on the progress bar on the right - and lack of progress on valpuri. while i was a good girl and finally ripped out the hoodie (yum, rowan summer tweed!), i didn't get much further than balling it up. i was inspired by everyone's urchin FOs from knitty that i was compelled to knit up a beret of my own. except i desperately needed some cable work; the laura sweater didn't require a whole lot of detail knitting which, being as A-type as i am, i adore. i love ysolda's patterns and had to have this one (bought snow white too - it'll be queued up one of these days)!

i couldn't get a photo of my gretel WIP that's color-correct, so you'll have to trust me that it's awesome. i know most knitters don't love variegated yarn with cabling but this piece is so bohemian i decided it would be a good fit. even with the whole bunch of orange that turned up in the middle of the ball, i haven't been disappointed so far!


*those would be the gretel yarn (was planning to hit the stash) and stitchionary. you go for needles, you come back with more. save me from the LYS!

the best intentions

beige, mike, and bryan rock out to lcd soundsystem; mike does most of the rockin'



this is lcd soundsystem. i swear.


i know i promised photos but... while our seats were decent, they weren't close enough for my lil camera to do the trick. the trick being 'focus in the dark on things far, far away'. i'll post videos of the show if they end up on youtube - someone always puts them up on youtube - but for now i'll leave you with this:




(the show was pretty great. lcd soundsystem was totally on - b and i hope to catch them in a smaller venue sometime soon. the arcade fire was having some sound issues; i blame the french horns.)

thursdays are for frogging

laura on the block!

last night i finally finished laura. this is a sweater i have been knitting up for a coworker, based on an old discontinued GAP sweater that she adores. i am really happy with how it turned out and it is SO soft - blue sky organic cotton, people. it is amazing!

i also spent some time watching heroes and ripping out an ill-fated hoodie. i have GOT to trust my knitterly instincts more; if i think it's going to be too big when i'm knitting it, it's going to be too big. in this case, 'too big' = elephantine. ah well. the yarn is a lovely rose-colored rowan summer tweed and it is going to be repurposed for valpuri, which i hope to start this weekend.

tonight, assuming the rain holds off, is going to be a very good night. photos to come!

welcome, welcome

look at that lovely old post down there. it is so lovely and old. i hate myspace so i'm comin' back. you'll find me here from this point forward!

this is a patch i made from a lovely illustration by the very talented ashley goldberg.