Urg. The cashmere

I've been told that cashmere can be QUITE warm. Well, I wanted to knit Juno but it turns out that it's using a DK weight yarn DOUBLED! Well, my cashmere is about DK weight and I'm going t ohave to double it? It's doing to be damn warm! I think I need to find another pattern that doesn't necessarily require that I double the yarn since I don't want it that warm. Anyone have any suggestions?

2009 already?

The year flew by. Can't say I had all that many good memories of it. Well, whatever, it will be a new year soon and hopefully there will be some changes to come.

I decided that I'm going to spend New Year's Eve counting my yarn. Yup...I kinda see myself as Scrooge McDuck, except I'm not trying to hoard all the yarn in the world, I'm just there counting and counting and counting. I joined a "Stashalong" for 2009 in the hopes of having a net loss of yarn in the house next year and a better wardrobe. Any old projects that I have no interest in is getting ripped. This includes the Great American (Cashmere) Afghan. So, in order to do this, I need to know exactly how much yarn and fibery things I have in my house. It does make me a little nervous to think of it all. I bought another large rubber container tonight in the hopes of gathering it all together.

First project to start off for the year is going to be using the cashmere. I'm thinking of knitting the Juno cardigan from Rowan 40.

Very lucky indeed

Well, no damage to the car. There was just a lot of snow and ice packed under the car that was throwing things off balance when the speed got higher.

As for all the Christmas knitting, Lynn got her pair of mittens and Tina got 1 mitten. I should be finishing up the second mitten today and then I can relax with the knitting! Maybe I will start swatching up something using the piles and piles of cashmere I have from the Hunt Valley Cashmere club.

Two knitting related things I had gotten were the books "Sensational Knitted Socks" and "The Knitter's Book of Yarn". I was excited :)

A time to give thanks

Yeah, normally that's Thanksgiving but I do have something to give thanks for today.

It's been snowing all week and the roads in RI are a bit icy. I was trying to switch lanes and when my car started moving over, I realized I was going too fast and that there was ice on the ground and lost control of the car. The car managed to not hit the car in front of me, turned 270 degrees on 95 and was stopped by the snow packed along the center median. When I let go, it was an interesting moment because there was some sense peace and I had said "Let go and whatever will happen will happen." The car stopped. The cars on the highway behind me were far enough behind and going slow enough that I saw them slow down because they all saw what had happened. I was able to start the car and pull out and keep going. I was about 40 minutes away from Providence and managed to make it here okay. I couldn't see any damage to the body of the car but I know something did hit because the car now shakes when it goes above 50mph. So, very very lucky and much to give thanks for today. I do think that my mom was watching over me because it really could've been a lot worse than it actually was.

The question now is...how am I going to make it back to Virginia. Will the car be fixed in time?

Mmm...jersey....

It was sitting on my door step when I got home tonight. I'm so excited.


My very first game worn Cornell hockey jersey. And now, even though it is labelled Sawada, I need to verify that the name plate matches the actual era of the jersey.

Where in the world is Carmen San Diego? - Part 2

And I was home for enough time to pack a new suitcase and I was off to Memphis.

Reshma and I had signed up for the Memphis St. Jude Marathon. I finished in 6 hours and 23 minutes. Not bad considering I hadn't run in about a month. Downtown was empty. It reminded me of St. Louis in how lacking in people it was but it was not as bad as St. Louis. We did go to Graceland. I love Elvis. I really loved Elvis when I was in high school but because of an unfinished school project, we never went. Well, now I get to go. Whee! Pictures are here. While I was there, I did have a peanut butter and banana sandwich - Elvis's favorite.

Scenes from Memphis:


OMG, I look crazed and starving. Reshma did a good job on the picture!

Gold Lame suit!

Chili cheese fries from Dyer's, as featured on "Deep Fried Paradise" on the travel channel. It was truly tasty.

Where in the world is Carmen San Diego? - Part 1

Anyone remember that computer game that became a tv show?

Anyways, I've been busy. I went to Hawaii! The pictures are here. A week seemed like it would be a long time before I got there but it all went by so quickly. It's amazing to see the different climates on the various islands. We started on the big island and saw the volcanos, drove through the rain forest side of the island and drove up through the mountains where it was cold, a bone chilling cold. We stayed in Waikola Village at the Hilton. It's a beautiful resort.

After that we were in Maui for a night. The Hana Highway is a trip and you need a lot of energy and concentration to drive it. The beaches and the waves were amazing. We ended in Honolulu at Waikiki. We stayed at a hotel that overlooks the beach - ResortQuest Waikiki Beach. There was a cute bellhop and they did a breakfast by the pool every morning. Each room also got 2 insulated lunch bags so you can take breakfast with you. We caught a surfing competition on the North Shore. Those waves were HUGE! The last day was spent at Pearl Harbor looking at the Bowfin Submarine, the Arizona Memorial, and the USS Missouri. It really makes you appreciate the men and women who serve in our military and the conditions that they live in while on duty.

Leaving you with some scenes from Hawaii:


Saddle rd on the Big Island

Surfers in Maui

Waikiki Beach at night

Yarn Ottoman

Yarn Ottoman
Originally uploaded by jyiu7

Many have heard me talk about the yarn ottoman in my basement. It's a 2 seater ottoman with storage space inside. I had it open yesterday and the camera around. As you can see, it is very much filled up. This is in case you're wondering what it all looked like

Free Dr. Pepper

Well, Dr. Pepper is offering a free coupon for Dr. Pepper starting this Sunday. Why? They had promised to do so if Guns 'N Roses released their new album in 2008. Here's the yahoo news article.

Almost done

I'm going to Hawaii next week. I'M GOING TO HAWAII NEXT WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Okay, I've got that out of my system. But because I'm going, I realized that if I could finish the Pinwheel Sweater, it would be weather appropriate for Hawaii. I already had the body done. I had the sleeves all knitted. I had done more than half the crochet work on one sleeve and it had gone really quickly so I figured, heck, I could have this done before the weekend and because it's cotton, I can throw it in the washing machine and the dryer! Well, okay, I'll do spin cycle and let it air dry so that I can block out the crochet lace edge.
But as I was browsing ravelry, I stumbled upon this version. It's not necessarily the sweater that I'm looking at but the button closure. I'm not sure how she put it on. If it were me, I wouldn't sew it on since this sweater can either be worn as a long sweater, or you can turn it upside down and wear it as a short sweater.
This puts and idea in my head. I can make a toggle bar with peyote stitch. I can then attach the toggle bar to either a button or some large crystal rivoli that I've captured. This would result in what is basically a cuff link that's a button closure for my sweater. The lace chains are small enough that I don't have to make a gigantic toggle. Hmmm...Well, I've got the weekend :)

"Making it" as a sock knitter

I kinda think I've made it as a sock knitter when I finally realized how warm they keep my feet when I'm wearing them. In addition to that, I'm preparing my socks for tomorrow because I want something hand knit on my feet to try to avoid another craptastic day at work. Hand knit socks on my feet will at least make me smile for the 5 seconds I look at them.

Twinkle, twinkle, peyote star

Twinkle twinkle peyote star
Oh how bright and shiny you are.
Up above my chest, so high
Blindingly sparkly crystals, oh my.


Class tomorrow. And now onto the instructions.

So much to do...

Instead, I'm napping on the couch. I'm at the toe decrease of my second Nutkin sock with maybe another 10 rows to go. I'm just about ready to start the decreases on the first Anemoi Mittens. I've got a beading project that's close to being finished and I REALLY REALLY need to write up the instructions for them before this Sunday. Instead, there are other things I need to do like sleep or clean my house. Sigh

Finished Shrug

This is Stephanie Japel's Carie Cropped Flare Sleeve Cardigan made with Cascade Magnum. I had to do a good deal of recalculation since my gauge was way off. Thankfully, it's just a basic top down raglan. The Magnum is bulky yarn. I saw it at Stitch DC Georgetown one day, thought of this shrug, and bought some. I was in need of a quick project since all of my knitting and beading projects were taking a long time. The button closure I picked up at Rhinebeck. Patricia had gone to a specific vendor to pick up buttons for Bead Obsessions and while she shopped, I shopped right along side her. They are hand made, ceramic buttons. Very cute.

Bead It! 3 - Autumn Wreath

Tonight was the Gallery Opening for the Bead It! 3 exhibit and my wreath won first place in the non wearable art exhibit! Eee! I'm so excited!




I had completed this a couple of years ago. It is Donna DeAngelis Dickt's Fall Berry Wreath pattern. Onto the wreath, I've added a couple of Donna's cosmos and some wheat stalks I had lying about. I bring it out in the fall and hang it on my door.
This is currently on display at the Del Ray Artisan's Gallery: 2704 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria, VA. The exhibit runs through November 30th. I'll be gallery sitting on the 15th. Come on down and say hi!

Election Night

I arrived at my polling center at 6:30. Knit a few rows on my sock. I left at 7:30. Not as bad as some of those 3-4 hour lines. I've done my part for Northern Virginia. I'm now settling in for a night of election results.

Bead It! 3

For those of you in the DC area, next Friday, November 7, 2008 is the gallery opening of "Bead It! 3", a show put on by The Del Ray Artisans. I have two pieces in the show. I have a wreath based on Donna Dickt's Fall Berry Wreath. I modified it slightly by adding a couple of stalks of wheat and some cosmo flowers. Sorry, no picture. My other entry is an orchid:



So, for anyone who has been wanted to see my flowers in person, here's your chance.

Details of Bead It! 3:
Opening Reception - November 7, 2008 7pm-9:30pm
Show runs from Nov 7 - Nov 30
Gallery Hours:
Thursday 12pm-6pm
Friday 12pm-8pm
Saturday 10am-4pm
Sunday 12pm-4pm

I also have a couple of necklaces in their marketplace.

* Cross posted to Judy Yiu Designs

Scenes from a Marathon (part 1)

Really, I'm just too lazy to look at, sort, and upload pictures I took this year during the Marine Corps Marathon. Quick summary:
- It took me 6 hours and 16 minutes. It's not bad for a last minute crammed in training schedule.
- My leg cramped up a couple of times
- More hilly on the new course
- Nice weather. Took me 5 miles to warm up but it was a good day for a marathon.

One down, one to go. Maybe for Memphis, I'll upload more pictures.

Okay, really, I just have one picture. It's Teddy Roosevelt. He passed me just after mile 17. I passed in around mile 24. My last Teddy Roosevelt sighting was at mile 25. Yeah, dude did the marathon in costume. That is just bloody well amazing. For more details on "Teddy Roosevelt", see the wiki post.

The Rhinebeck Post

So Rhinebeck. It was nice to get away. I drove up to NYC Thursday night after work to eat at The Chip Shop and get my deep fried twinkie and dinner with friends Friday night. I spent most of Friday wandering around Manhattan.

For anyone who knows of the Japanese bookstore, it used to be a Rockefeller Center. They have now moved to Bryant Park. They're now on 6th Ave between 40th and 41st.

In keeping up with tradition, I was under dressed on a trip to New York (the state). I left the office and forgot my jacket. Hey, at least it isn't January in Ithaca and 20 degrees. And at least there's an H&M every other street in Manhattan. I used to show up week after week in Ithaca dressed in jeans, tank top, and a wool coat. It was a little chilly.

So Rhinebeck. Autumn leaves, chill in the air - it's what autumn is supposed to be. I had a limited budget and I didn't want to buy yarn that I could order from Webs. I also didn't want to buy random yarn off of a farm. I've got enough yarn. I also wasn't looking for generic fiber. It left me with hand dyed/painted rovings. So...

From Briar Rose, I bought a ball of roving. They don't make it out to MD S&W because they haven't been able to get in. They have some really beautiful handpainted yarn but I couldn't justify the purchase to myself.


Four ounces of the "Cottage Garden" colorway in BFL. I've been seeing beautifully spun up fiber in wildly varigated colorways that have knit up beautifully so I wanted to buy something with color to spin.


I wanted to find something from Carolina Homespun and ended up with this pretty thing from Grafton Fibers:

It's my favorite mixture of colors. Red and black mix.

Finally, I had seen an ad on ravelry for Creatively Dyed Yarns. I am normally good on not clicking on the ads but when an ad has beautiful colorways, it draws my attention and I click. So I clicked and saw she would be at Rhinebeck and made it a point to visit the booth. She has some very unique fibers (wool/seacell, milk protein...) and beautiful colorways. so I got:

This is the wool/bamboo blend.

This is the wool/seacell blend. Creatively Dyed will be at Stitches East, but not necessarily with the wool/seacell.

The rest of the photoset from the weekend can be found here.

For anyone who is curious, it's a $100 deposit on a Golding wheel and the official wait is now out 8 years. Mr. Golding thinks the realistic date is 4 years if his son takes over the spindles and he has more time to focus on the wheels. Depending on how you look at it, I either didn't go far beyond my budget since I haven't actually bought the wheel yet, or I went way beyond my budget because I'll be handing over a ridiculous amount of money in 4-8 years for a spinning wheel that spins like buttah!

20 miles

It's nice when the only things on the "To Do" list are:
* 20 miles - run it, walk it, just get through it
* eat
* shower
* nap
* season opener hockey game

Cuz then you are in such a calorie deficit that you can go and enjoy those arena hot dogs that are piled with chili, cheese, onions, and sauerkraut. Mmm, good. Oh, and the introductions to the players and the images of the guys in street clothes with hockey sticks, OMG. Yeah, OMG. My brain just kinda stops there.

And then you go and find that the 20 miles has made you forget how to do math as in algebra and number theory and other things you're going to be tested on in a month. Or maybe it was the image of the Caps in their street clothes. My brain does kinda stop there... Have I said "OMG" yet?