Look what I can do!

I finished my shirt! It's kinda lumpy but it does need to be reblocked after having seamed everything together.


Last night, as I stumbled in the door after an awesome day in Monterey, I found a package from Knit Picks! So of course I tore it open and wanted to cast on right away. But I resisted until this morning.

Knit Picks Palette in Pimento and Cream. These colors are truer than those in the photos below.

I took that picture this morning. This the progress as of this evening.

Future stitches to be picked up for the thumb.

In Monterey yesterday, I happened upon a cute little yarn shop called The Twisted Stitch, at 400 Foam St, Ste A. It just opened fairly recently, and the only reason I even noticed it was because I was wistfully staring out the window, wishing a yarn store could be close to either Fisherman's Wharf or the aquarium, and all of a sudden I saw yarn in a window, and screamed YARN STORE! So yup, I got some Cherry Tree Hill suri laceweight in Rosewood from the fabulous owner, and I can't wait to go back over winter break and visit it again to see how well the store is doing.

Knitting up a Storm

Lots of knitting progress this week. On Sunday, my parents and I went to San Rafael for a day trip. And of course, whenever we go on day trips, they let me check out one or two yarn stores in the area. I found the Dharma Trading Company, and walked out with three skeins of white Debbie Bliss baby cashmerino and three skeins of brown Debbie Bliss baby cashmerino. Actually Mom bought them for me to make things for her, and I ended up making a neck scarf with one of the skeins.

Mom decided to model the little scarf for me, but was too shy to let me photograph her face. The peter pan-collared sweater is from Lands' End.

The morning I finished the neck scarf, an awesome package arrived!

I started a short-sleeve pullover from a French pattern book I received for my birthday this year, using the bottle green St. Denis Nordique. So far, the back is done and I'm working on the front. Interesting: there's an English version of this pattern floating around. Ah well, I don't mind translating. I made a swatch of the leaf panel in neon pink acrylic and it seemed just fine, though some people seem to say there's an error in the pattern. Hopefully I was interpreting it correctly. A few things literally got lost in translation, though. I didn't understand the terminology for "k1 tbl," but that's the only problem I've had so far.

The ginger Cascade Elite Fresco is going to be a long-sleeved shirt/pullover from the same pattern book.

I Have an Excuse!

I got my wisdom teeth removed on Monday. I was pretty much passed out all week from pain meds. Now I have big icky holes in my gums. But I'm awake now, and with a finished object!

My second Whisper cardi is done! I've been working on it off and on in between consciousness (again, thanks to the pain meds).

Next project: Debbie Stoller's All-Day Beret with some Paton's Angora Bamboo I picked up in Madison, WI while visiting campus last month.

Finally, a Legit Update!

Yup! So here it is. Two works in progress; unfortunately, none of them are very fascinating.

Zoidberg from Futurama! Well, a future Dr. Zoidberg. Obviously I have to add tentacles and eyes and all that good stuff, but he should be finished by tomorrow. Hopefully. [x] [x] And hmm that's supposed to be red - a bright cherry red of Cascade 220 Quatro. Ah well.


And another Whisper Cardi, designed by Hannah Fettig and featured in Interweave Knits Spring 2009 catalog. Finished the first sleeve and working the back. Such an interesting design; you work a sleeve, bind off a few stitches and work flat for around 22", then cast on those stitches you bound off earlier and continue knitting the second sleeve. Then you bind all stitches off and pick up stitches along the straight stretch and knit downwards.


Whisper is out of a big cone of yarn the boyfriend got me for only FIVE DOLLARS from That Yarn Store. I love all the little nubbs in it - plus that sweet strawberry color makes me want to hug it. Oh and it's wool. Laceweight merino wool. The sticker inside the cone has "7320" on it; I wonder if that's how many yards it has.

New Resolves

It's summer, and having graduated from high school recently, I've decided to add posts every Wednesday, REGARDLESS of whether or not I have nothing to show for myself. If anything, it'll add some consistency to the blog and my life, and hopefully even get me motivated to knit some more. Next post: Wednesday, July 28th!

Yosemite and Lace Cardigans

The boyfriend and I went to Yosemite for a day trip.


And I made sure to take plenty of knitting pictures. About a week ago, I also finished my Whisper. Love the yarn too - Golden Glow. It's not super soft, especially for being 100% Merino, but it's soft enough for me.

I plan on blocking it this weekend. And yup, that's about it.

America's Best-Kept Secret

Lexington, Kentucky. I loved when we went in early April, and I still long to be there over a month later. When we got on the plane from O'Hare to Lexington's airport, we got into a little regional jet. Despite all the flying and traveling I have done with my family over my life, I have never had to walk outside to get on a plane before. Ever. So of course, I anticipated Kentucky would be capital of hickville. Little did I know. As we were preparing to land in Lexington, I looked out the window and saw the most picturesque view I had ever seen in my entire life. I have been to France, and I have traveled the French countryside. I have been to Aix-en-Provence. I have been to Rothenburg, Germany. I have traveled all around Austria. I have traveled much of California and Hawaii. It's not as if I have been sitting at home all these years. Lexington was the last place I figured would capture my heart. While descending into the town, I could see little white houses with white picket fences (electronic devices weren't allowed at the time or I definitely would have taken pictures). If anywhere, the American dream lives here.

But yes, all places have faults. Lexington's one fault (and this applies for much of Kentucky, I assume) is horses, horses, and OMGHORSES. Everywhere we went, we were bombarded by horse pictures, horse paintings, horse statuettes, the works. Other than the horses though, I'm pretty sure this place is perfect.

And that's not even a fourth of the pictures I took, most of them more beautiful and charming than the posted ones. What gets me is that no one is on the streets. I envisioned one of Kentucky's largest cities to be bustling at least, but it's quiet (but not eerily quiet). It's like no one knows this little gem exists.

(And surprisingly, very few Lexingtonians have accents.)