Blah, blah, blah

Ahhh! Almost the weekend! What a relief! Anyway, here is my obligatory photo of me wearing Fifi.

It's not the greatest, but it was the best I could do with the time constraints! Anyway, I'm rather ambivalent about this piece. I just don't love it. I think if I had made it with 3/4 length or long sleeves, I probably would love it. I considered doing one or two more pattern repeats on the sleeves, but when I tried it on, they seemed about right so I didn't. I will probably wear it layered over a peasant top of some sort.

I started Juliet. The garter stitch fabric is rather dense. I like the yarn though. It has a nice feel. I'm toying with the idea of making 3/4 length sleeves. When I get to the point where I join the body, I think I will put the sleeve stitches on waste yarn instead of binding them off. If I make them longer, I will most likely continue knitting them in garter stitch then increase so that I have enough stitches for the lace pattern repeats. Hopefully the lace at the bottom of the sleeve would give it a belled sleeve effect. This is just an idea. I don't know if I will do this or not!

Here's a little eye candy:

I always have at least 2 flower arrangements in the house. I just put that one out yesterday!

Anyway--this is a brief post. Sorry for the lack of cleverness this evening!

Bushism of the day:
"Redefining the role of the United States from enablers to keep the peace to enablers to keep the peace from peacekeepers is going to be an assignment." —George W. Bush, Jan. 14, 2001

Kitty Cam:
The tiny tuxedo twins take a nap!

Finally Fifi!

Here she is!

Fortunately Sophia doesn't mind wearing an unblocked garment! I will model her when she's blocked!
Here are the details--
Yarn: Rowan Calmer in Refresh--3.5 balls
Needles: Knitpicks Options size 7
Size: XS
Modifications: I added 4 extra rows to the sleeves and cast on 7 stitches under the arm when joining the body. I did 12 repeats of the center panel pattern and I did a simple crochet slip stitch around the neck to control the rolling.

Over all--I like this sweater but I got really tired of working on it. Honestly--I would rather do stockinette! I get really annoyed with so much ribbing. I really had to slog through the body section! I don't know what it was! I just became disenchanted with it!

I am starting Juliet in a few minutes! I can't wait! DH and I will be going to Pittsburgh this coming weekend so I can get a little knitting done there. We're going on Sunday for Bird's Symphonic Band concert. He's a senior and we haven't been to any of his band concerts as they are always on Sunday evenings. We decided that we would go to as many of them, if not all of them this year. I guess I'll be out of work some extra Mondays! The drive to Pittsburgh is particularly lovely this time of year because there is so much colorful fall foliage. I'm sorry we can't stay longer. We will probably help Bird get his computer fixed and a few other things. We haven't seen the "new" house. He and one of his roomates from last year moved to a new house at the beginning of the slopes a few blocks away from the old one. He says it's a beauty--fully restored! We'll see!

Other happenings--I've been going through the private health insurance nightmare. Ems comes off my insurance the end of this month and she's still in school. So we have to find affordable health insurance. We have done so, but I suspect when we get the final approval that there will be preexisting condition clauses that won't cover treatment for anything she's been treated for in the last year. I'm really amazed that in the country, we cannot find a way to provide our citizens with affordable health care. The Canadians do it. How hard can it really be? I know that it is really a complex issue but it could be done if the powers that be didn't buckle to special interest groups.

Ok. That's enough! I won't rant anymore! I will go cast on for Juliet!

Bushism of the day:
"I couldn't imagine somebody like Osama bin Laden understanding the joy of Hanukkah." —George W. Bush, at a White House Menorah lighting ceremony, Washington, D.C., Dec. 10, 2001

WoW!

Kitty Cam:
Greg watches TV on the easy chair while I knit!

What's a girl to do?

I was so excited yesterday to see that my silk charmeuse had come in the mail. My excitement subsided somewhat when I opened the package however. I wasn't thrilled with the color. Don't get me wrong, it's really quite beautiful. My problem is that I get a picture in my brain of what I expect to see and if the item doesn't match that mental image, well, then I get disappointed! The silk was ordered from the Fashion Fabrics Club and it was only $8.95 a yard. The color was called Dark Turquoise. I pictured more of a teal which is what I wanted. So I have a decision to make. I can go to G -Street and use the 30% off one item coupon to get some silk charmeuse there. They have a lovely teal. The price is $21.95 less the 30% discount. I need around 5 yards. What's a girl to do? The fabric I got is a more summery color and would be really appropriate so I could certainly just keep it. Plus there's this leather skin at G Street that I've looked at the last 2 times I went. It is a drapey chocolate brown napa leather and it is enought to make a gored skirt. It's a large skin--23 square feet. I'm thinking that I may like to use my coupon on that. If that piece is still there, then I will consider that to be a sign that it was meant for me to have!

The silk is more muted than in the photo. The darker fabric is the organza which lines the lower part of the skirt. I'm thinking that I will actually use two layers of rayon lining because this charmeuse is lighter weight than I expected. I think there needs to be a little more weight for the dress to have that smooth silhouette. I will make the muslin for fitting this weekend. I need the dress on Aug. 11 so time is certainly of the essence!

Tomorrow night is my 35 year high school class reunion! It's always important to look nice for these things since you see people you haven't seen in years. Typically I get a new outfit, but I just didn't care that much this year. I have this skirt that I love from Marshall's--close fitting through the hips then almost a circle at the bottom. It has about 10 gores and it is a white cotton with a print which is embroidered rather than printed. It is black and white and goes with a number of things. So I saw this great black silk Nanette Lepore strapless bustier on Ebay and I had bid on it. When I went to check on the auction, the seller had ended it early and someone else had won! What's a girl to do?

I decided to go to Arundel Mills to Neiman Marcus Last Call which is the Neiman Marcus Outlet. Ems had bought a simply stunning Carmen Marc Valvo silk bustier that would stop traffic. It was originally $375, marked down to about $130 then 75% off that! Damn--they had another one that somewhat similar in the styling. I didn't get it, but I may have to go back. It was a navy blue print chiffon which was ruched over the entire piece. The boning and support in it was such that it would not move! Extremely well made! I'll wait until Sunday and go back. I don't know where I would wear it, but it would look fabulous with my new dress jeans and a little 1940's jacket! Anyway, I lucked out. They did have just one plain black silk bustier in my size! It is a Kay Unger piece and constructed in such a way, that it won't move. It will go with a lot of things that I have.

I took a picture of Sophia modelling the outfit. Who is Sophia? Well, she's my dressform. Fellow blogster Robin got a dressform and named it so I thought--gee! Mine has given me several years of service already with no complaints and, Lord knows, I've made her wear so questionable outfits! So I decided that Sophia would be a good name--named for Sophia Loren. Of course you can see the resemblance between
this:

and this:


So here is my outfit:

I figured it will go great with my red stilleto heel pumps!

I'm almost done with the One Skein Wonder. I really like the subtle color variations in the Malabrigo.


Then it's back to Fifi which I have to finish. I've become somewhat disenchanted with it so I will have to make myself work on it.

Bushism of the day:
"Drug therapies are replacing a lot of medicines as we used to know it." --George W. Bush, third presidential debate, St. Louis, Missouri, Oct. 18, 2000

Kitty Cam:
Greg takes a break from napping to wash his face! Such a hard life!

One step forward, two steps back!

Last week I needed to frog part of my Fifi sweater. This was an emotional experience for me as I've never had to frog rows before! The pattern designer suggested that I frog back to the point where the sleeves are separated and the body joined for the size extra small--row 43. I had done size small and had joined the body at row 51 plus I had knit another 15 rows. I wasn't happy with the neck--it was just a little to close. Because this yarn is so stretchy, making the smaller size would pull the sweater down. So here's Fifi before the frogging:

I needed to frog to this point--notice where the needle is pointing:

I decided to run a lifeline using the cable of my KnitPicks Options needles along with a smaller size needle:

As it turns out, my lifeline wasn't totally straight so I pulled it out. The Calmer is such a lovely yarn that I was able to gently rip and the loops stayed intact so I could pick up the stitches with no problem! Samantha decided to lend moral support during the process:

Here's where I am at this point:

I thought I'd get a lot done on my Williamsburg trip since I let HD drive, but I ended up reading. Perhaps during my hair appointment I can get a little done. I want to finish this baby soon so I can get to my other summer projects. I have to do the Red Carpet Convertible for the SKC KAL, Coachina from Knitty, Sizzle and the Ribbed Silk Corset. That should more than keep me busy!

Kitty Cam:
Samantha has her own method of monitoring my computer use!

"No more blogging, Mommy! It's time to spoil the kitties!"

Slow and Steady

So--my Fifi is making progress. The gauge is smaller than I swatched--7 spi instead of 5 spi. As a result I am knitting size Small instead of Extra Small. It seems to fit fine, but I wish the neckline was wider. Someone on the SKC KAL started theirs as a size Medium which casts on 140 instead of 120 then they joined the body earlier as if knitting an extra small. I wish I had thought of that. I'm thinking that I may be able to correct it somewhat when I block it.



The weather turned absolutely delightful this weekend. Yesterday was simply fabulous! I got caught up in a stupid task though. I offered to wind a skein of yarn for a friend. It was a beautiful skein of Anne Schaefer fingering weight merino, mohair blend. All started okay but then the strands of yarn coming off the skein started getting hung up on loops, if that makes sense. The skein seemed to be twisted--as it it were twice as big originally then doubled up to make a manageable size, if that makes sense. Well, my 5 - 10 minute task of winding a ball of yarn with a swift and ball winder turned into over an hour. I ended up with two small balls of yarn and about 50 yards of tangled mess! I've never encountered that before! If I ever purchase this brand of yarn for myself, I will have the shop wind it.

DH, Bird and I went to the movies last night. We saw Live Free and Die Hard. Gotta love the Die Hard movies. I'm always amazed at how may beatings and explosions one can live through! It was entertaining and the company was good! I will work more on Fifi today but need to focus on perfecting the music for my neice's wedding.

Kitty Cam:
Breakfast at the OK Corral!

Lazy Days of Summer!

I've been bad! With all this time on my hands, I haven't gotten squat done--AND--I haven't blogged! Let's see since last I posted:

What Goes Up Must Come Down!

Mikey went to the vet on Friday for a blood test and his sugar level was actually too low! It was 45 and normal should be about 150 - 250. So the vet dropped his insulin from 7 cc's to 4 cc's! This is good. So I took him back yesterday and his sugar was still somewhat low at 111. So he was dropped to 3 cc's! There's actually hope that he may end up coming off of insulin eventually. On a sad note--while at the vet yesterday--there was an emergency situation. Animal control was called because someone saw two black labs in their fenced yard with heat stroke. It was in the 90's and the humidity was quite oppressive. One of the dogs had to be brought in on a stretcher. The vets tried everything but that one died. The owners weren't home and a message was left for them. PLEASE! If you have animals, do NOT keep them outside in this heat or in a closed car!

Mikey shows his approval!

In spite of this God awful heat, there are some things I love about summer. Here are two:

Raspberries! 12 ounces of them from BJ's! I get so tired of paying huge amounts of money for itty bitty amounts of out of season berries! Unfortunately these aren't organic, but I guess I can't have everything!

Cherries! This bag was full the day before this photo was taken and these are now gone!

Knitting news! Fifi is now in progress! I really like this pattern. It is full of cables and they give instructions for doing the cables without a cable needle. At first I used a cable needle and it was taking forever so I gave it a try! I really like it! It is much quicker to not have to pick up and put down a cable needle over and over! I will soon get to the place where I have to try on the sweater and make some sizing decisions. I really fall between the two smallest sizes. This sweater is made with negative ease. The finished sizes are 29 and 33 inches. I need this sweater to be at 31 which is midway between so I will try it on when I get to the place where the sleeve stitches are removed from the body and the front and back are joined in the smallest size. If it fits, then I'll go with the smallest size. If not then I'll go further. That's what I love about top down sweaters. You can fit as you go so you end up not frogging! How could anyone not love that!


See what I mean about all the cables?

I also ordered the yarn for the second SKC KAL. The pattern calls for Classic Elite Playful Weekend with is a very pricey silk ribbon. It is a bulky weight though the pattern has it knit on size 8 needles at 4.25 spi. I ended up finding Noro Hana Silk at a fabulous price at Stash, a yarn store in the UK. The prices were significanly lower than anywhere in the US (including Ebay) and the skeins are actually bigger! I decided on a color called Vivid Red! Should prove to be a bitchin' top!

My Secret Pal revealed herself to me with her last package! Her name is Valerie and she her blog is Knitting in Pink . Check it out as she also has an online store for sock knitting yarn and stuff!

Here are the goodies she sent me:

A card; a little memo book--great for knitting bag notes; and some lovely stitch markers!


Here's a closeup of the stitch markers! They are silver and fresh water pearls! Aren't they lovely? I like them because they are dainty and lightweight so I now have pretty markers to use with more delicate knitting projects!


A lovely citrus scented candle and some handmade soap!


Last, but certainly not least--a skein of Artyarns Silk Rhapsody in a fabulous colourway of golds and reds! Lookls like a winter lace scarf, if you ask me!

Thanks again Valerie for all the goodies! You have been a fantastic Secret Pal!

And now, from the Kitty Cam:

Greg--a beautiful black blob! The only contrast is his eyes when they are open or his tongue when he yawns!

Patience is a virtue!

One, I might add, that I don't possess! It was obvious that the winning project for the next SKC KAL would be Fifi. I decided to swatch my Rowan Calmer to get ready. I think I have found the ideal cotton yarn. After knitting with the Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece which I didn't love, this stuff is like Heaven! It feels like the finest merino wool! It has a rather unique construction which gives it incredible stretch! It doesn't split like the Brown Sheep did and it feels wonderful in the hands!

Even better is the fact that this yarn knitted exactly to gauge! Now the problem for me will be what size to knit. The finished bust measurements are 29.5" for XS and 33.5" for S. This sweater is to be knit with negative ease. When I knit Sahara, I knit it to a finished measurement of 31" to fit my 34.5" bust and it was perfect. As luck would have it, my ideal finished measurement is right in the middle of these two sizes! I'll have to figure this one out because of the stitch pattern but I will make it work.

It turns out that the SKC has decided to make this another double KAL. The other project will be Annie Modesitt's Red Carpet Convertible. This is actually a free pattern but Annie is requesting a donation. Her husband Gerry has been diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma and will be undergoing bone marrow transplants and other major medical procedures. Please consider helping Annie out. She has designed some fabulous patterns such as the Backyard Leaves scarf and the Ribbed Silk Corset Pullover. Her new book of Romantic Hand Knits will be coming out this summer. I hope to make the Red Carpet Convertible as a top. I'm debating on the yarn. I'm thinking about using Artyarns Silk Ribbon in color 105. My second choice is color 137. I'm just not sure about the variegated colourway. I think this yarn would be a gorgeous substitution for the yarn used in the pattern.

Meanwhile, I was busy planning a couple of other summer projects. I found a discontinued yarn that I love! It's called Patina by Classic Elite and it is 70% Cotton and 30% Silk. The color is Mango. I purchased this yarn for Sizzle. In this color that top will definitely live up to its name!


Another summer project that I want to make is Coachella from the new Knitty. The recommended yarn is called Suede by Berroco. It is 100% nylon so that just doesn't appeal to me at all. So I went to the LYS to take a look. There were two possibilities: Berroco Bonsai, a bamboo tape and Wick, a blend of soy silk and polypropylene. I really like the look of the Bonsai, but it had no stretch. With this top, drape is more important then stretch, except for the fact that once again I am between two sizes. The Wick reminds me of Rowan Calmer. It feels almost the same and has a lot of stretch, so I figure that I can make the smaller size.


I had somewhat of a health scare this week. I had a couple of colorless moles appear on my chest where I've had a lot of sun damage. My primary doc thought one was skin cancer and the other precancerous so he sent me to a dermatologist. Fortunately she thought they were both precancerous and just zapped them with liquid nitrogen to freeze them off. Just hearing the word "Cancer" can be scary, but my doc told me that 50% of fair skinned people my age will get skin cancer. The sobering thing is that he said the sun damage done to cause skin cancer was done by the time I was 20! I mentioned to Ems that I might have skin cancer and she freaked out. She thought I was way too nonchalant about it. She said that she wasn't ready to deal with my mortality. She likes to think that I'll always be around. It's nice that my kids feel that way!

On a cheerier note: I wore some kitty shoes today! You can see why I love them!


Kitty Cam:
Samantha has a new friend!


And she seems annoyed that I've intruded upon their time together!