Tuesday, November 29, 2005

Loot!

I was like a little kid waiting for the mailman on Saturday. Because I had a feeling that some of this might come in that day:



Oh, yeeeaaaahhh. It was glorious, simply glorious to come down and see not one, but two beautiful Priority Mail packages nestled at my door, and that magical yellow DSW reward certificate peeking ot of the box. Wow! Did I really spend that much on shoes....who cares? Free money!

My Snow Watch 2005 goodies came in from Ashley--the Knitpicks Shimmer in...Happy Dance colors! A more appropriate name couldn't be found, because that's exactly what I was doing when I opened the package.

Aren't these colors fantastic? They're exactly what I would have picked out for myself. She also sent two skeins of some lovely superwash wool in a pretty green, which I am determined to turn into socks. Because, believe it or not, you can wear wool socks in Austin! For about two weeks this winter, it will be cold enough to wear them out, and since my feet get cold at night, well, I'll be wearing them pretty much unti...February.

I also got the lavender Baby Cashmere yarn and the Flared Smoke Ring pattern from Elann for my mom's Christmas present. I cast on for it, but there just ain't that much to show yet, because I only knit one round. I've knit lots of lace before, but never with laceweight. Does it still count as lace? This yarn, so soft and pretty and just a mere slip of a yarn, feels slightly strange in my hand, but I'm sure I'll get used to it soon enough. I'm wondering if I'll polish off this project as quickly as Eunny did, though!

The reason I haven't made much progress there is because I've been working on the other holiday gift on my list (yep, there are only two, I've decided that my mental health is kinda important to me).



I'm making this Chameleon Hat for my dad, from the Encyclopedia of Knitting, out of Mission Falls 1824 Superwash. I love the yarn (which is being discontinued! boo! hiss!), and the rib pattern is making the fabric really thick and squishy, which will be perfect for Chicago, because the entire bottom half appears to get folded up for a brim, so this hat will really be warm.

But...it just looks ginormous. I have my doubts....I will spit and kick and pull out my hair if I have to frog this thing, just because that rib pattern is such a pain in the you know what. Every two rows, the pattern changes, so I can't just mindlessly knit while watching Desperate Housewives. So, we shall see. We shall see.

In the spirit of the holidays, which has now descended upon us with full fury and intensity in its full glory, here is a shot of the Congress Avenue holiday lights and the State Capitol. This one's for Ashley...Austin misses you!



I took this out the sunroof of my car. Don't worry, no one got hit or run over in this photojournalistic expedition. Happy knitting, everyone!

Saturday, November 26, 2005

Catching up with the Memes. (Installment 3 of 3.)

This is the last meme for the time being that I needed to get caught up on, after doing the Flash Your Stash and the Knitter's Memes. Since I don't yet have the "100 Things About Me," I figured this would be a good way to get started. I'll just build on it whenever the mood strikes me! (And as my exams approach, I'm sure this list will grow very quickly.)

Twenty Things About Me

1. I was born in Monterrey, Mexico.

2. I lived there for the first 8 months of my life, then was brought to Chicago, where I lived for the next 20 or so years.

3. We would drive to Mexico once every two years for summer vacation, in our lemon yellow, wood-paneled station wagon. The seats were pleather, and I don't remember wearing seat belts, ever. We would beg to stop at Stuckey's on the way down, and we would blow our allowance on tacky little ceramic toothpick holders, or cedar doo-dads (like eyeglass holders or boxes or keychains).

4. Since I was the only sibling born in Mexico, I would lord it over my sister as we crossed the border that we were coming back to "mi tierra."

5. My sister and I would have screaming, knockdown, dragout fights while we were growing up. I can't imagine ever fighting with her now.

6. I went to Catholic school for all of grade school and some of high school. I think it's scarred me for life.

7. I was the biggest bookworm as a kid. While the rest of my eighth-grade class tore up the classroom and terrorized the 75-year-old nun who taught us, I buried myself in the corner, nose in a book. My favorite outing? A trip to the library and a Poncho's paleta on the way back.

8. My favorite books were Alice in Wonderland and Gone With the Wind. They still are.

9. My life changed when I got contact lenses at the age of 14. Suddenly, boys noticed me. Yep, it was the contact lenses.

10. I had my quinceanera in Mexico so that most of my family could attend, but I had no friends there. So my chambelan/escort was my cousin, who looked like he wished he were having his fingernails pulled out one by one, instead of being my "date."

11. I met M., my husband-to-be, in high school. His pickup line was to tell me that I looked like Madonna.

12. My secret fantasy as a teenager was to be Madonna.

13. M. and I got married at the age of 22.

14. M. and I got divorced at the age of 29.

15. I lived in New York through most of my 20s, which were some of the best and most difficult years of my life.

16. I love New York and sometimes fantasize about living there again. Then I look at the real estate section of the NY Times to cure myself of that delusion.

17. I worked in publishing until I was finally disabused of the notion that publishing is inherently a literary pursuit. It is not. It is a profit-making venture, at which people with killer sales instincts excel. And I do not.

18. For me, working in sales always reminds me of the traumatizing grade school experience of selling World's Finest Chocolates, in the cold, at the entrance to McDonald's (because the wrapper had a coupon printed on the inside). "Would you like to buy a chocolate? Would you like to buy a chocolate?" my sister and I would meekly ask, as people brushed past us, Big Macs and Happy Meals in hand. Other kids got their parents to sell their chocolates for them at work.

19. My dad worked at a Brach's candy factory.

20. My dad busted his ass at that factory so that we could all get our Catholic school educations and go to college, and he has never once questioned my decision to do something so esoteric as get a Ph.D. in literature, instead of becoming a CPA, or something sensible like that. My mom also supports my academic dawdling, nomas con que sigas adelante (as long as I keep moving ahead). Gracias, con todo mi corazon.

On this Thanksgiving weekend, I am grateful for my parents, and my family, and my friends, and that I am so blessed to be doing something that I love, in one of the best cities in the country!

Tuesday, November 22, 2005

Adios, boucle.

Well, not really. Just adios for the scarf I polled you guys about yesterday. Thanks for all the great feedback! I, too, would love to see what a cable in boucle would look like. But as soon as I cast on, I discovered that it would not be ME who would be showing aforementioned cable to the world. I was terrified of dropping stitches the whole time I knit my swatch, let alone transferring them and twisting them anywhere.

Well, by the time I had a few inches done, I sat back and evaluated. I liked the fabric--firm, and soft. But not drapey enough for a scarf, in my opinion (although I could see it becoming one of those Chanel-type cardigans with gold buttons, you know the boxy ones I'm talking about. Which is not really my style.)

After pondering my little swatch for a while, I went blogsurfing and found this on Eunny's site. Sweet Jesus! I know my mom would love this. And Eunny says it's a fast knit. And it's lace. Which means it's perfect, in my book. I ordered some baby cashmere (which is only like, a half of a percent of cashmere and mostly alpaca and wool, btw) and the pattern from Elann this morning.

I also decided to make a hat for my dad (another project for the hatalong), so I skipped on down to the lys today and bought 3 skeins of Mission Falls 1820 Superwash, in a pretty pewter blue. And guess what, my purlgurls? The proprietor told me that it was being discontinued. (This may be old news, I'm not sure, but it's the first I'd heard of it.) So, if any of you love the stuff, start hoarding!

Monday, November 21, 2005

Christmas slacker.

So, y'all, I feel like such a slacker because I currently have little to no plans to knit holiday presents. Whilst everyone around me in knitblogland is furiously, madly knitting away, posting pictures of their lovely FOs, I currently have half a finished sock that could, in theory, become a present. Or, in its current state, it could be a very nice wristwarmer.



So I have a wristwarmer. And a Scrap Yarn hat (see last post) that I am loathe to part with because I love it and its mine. And it sat on my head for most of the day yesterday, so who would want it after that?

But this is the thing. Let's say you went to Banana Republic to windowshop. Oh, with nothing particular in mind. You just like going in there, because you like the smell of retail. (You know what I'm talking about, especially in a place like BR. The delicate scent of silk and wool mingled with the smokier smell of new shoe leather. Smell it. Inhale. Mmmm.*)

And let's just say you strolled over to the clearance rack, and happened to spy a lovely lavender cotton sweater, with rhinestone buttons. Perfect for the holidays. And...what's that? The price tag, stickered over so many times that the small mound of stickers indicates, even from a distance, an incredible bargain....the price tag reads $14.99. FOURTEEN NINETY-NINE. Yes, you heard me. Now, not only is the sweater perfect for the holidays, but perfect for holiday GIFT GIVING. And there's three of them.

So, what if you scooped up all three and headed to the cash register, and breathed a sigh of relief, and crossed three names off your holiday list (three names that belong to people who do not read your knitblog). Does this make you a holiday knitting slacker? Does it? Or does it make you simply a smart shopper who will now use all that free time to slack off in other ways? Like reading knitblogs?

Rationalization aside, there are two very special gifts I do want to make--those for my mom and dad. And this is where I need your help and advice, dear readers. I have this lovely, dark turquoise alpaca boucle I bought back in the summer:



I decided that I would like to make a scarf/stole for my mom out of this. I have five balls, so I think I can get a generously sized scarf. But because I've never knit with boucle (except a distastrous, aborted attempt to make a hat with Bernat boucle), I'm not sure what would make a nice texture. Would cables with boucle be too fussy and/or bulky? Perhaps a nice, drapey lace pattern? I would probably just make something up based on a stitch pattern from my book of knitting stitches.

What do you guys think?

* In the spirit of full disclosure, I should admit that I once worked for BR for two years, but do not currently hold a position there and have no vested interest in making you go there immediately to shop. However, I have been brainwashed into the cult of the Gap empire, and if you've ever worked there, you know what I mean.

Sunday, November 20, 2005

I didn't even know I had a lucky yarn star.

I have to tell you: I never win anything, no matter what kind of contest or raffle I enter. Whether it's tossing ping pong balls in goldfish bowls, or pressing through the crowd at the cakewalk booth, or slapping down pinto beans on my loteria boards, I just never ever win. Never. Anything. I am perenially Charlie Bucket, before he unwrapped the Wonka bar with the Golden Ticket.

But! Just within the last week and a half, it's like I went to Yarn Vegas and won the knitting jackpot! First, I sent my name to Give a Little for Katrina Relief back in September, and just the other day, this arrived in the mail:



The Cheaper Than Therapy book, edited by Annie Modesitt, and these cute little buttons:



Aren't they swell? The lovely and irrepressible Melissa Shaw sent them to me (and if you order more than $15 worth of goodies at her shop, like stitch markers or needle cases, she'll send you one for free). Even better, she authored a chapter in the book, so it's signed by her...and by Annie!!! So cool!

And, then. Well, I thought things couldn't get much better, but I was flat out wrong. I checked on my friend Ashley's blog, and lo and behold, she was announcing that I won her Snow Watch 2005 contest! Since I was raised in the wintry north, I was pretty damn well positioned to guess when it might snow for the first time in Ashley's new home of Grand Rapids, MI. To be fair, there were two rounds of guesses, since the first time those infallible meteorologists projected snow, it was back in October, and well, the snow just did not materialize. But, the second time I predicted November 13, and I was closest without going over when Ashley got her first snow (and Bailey's--click on the sweet video of Ashley's dog trying to figure out what to do with all that white stuff.)

I'll post the yarny goodies when they come in the mail...can't wait! All's I know is that there's some laceweight coming to me...woo hoo!

I also got some FOs to share with you all:



Another One Skein Wonder, worn atop my Lady Luck tank (which was being worn ironically at the time). And that blue pendant? Tar-jay, my friends! (I scrounged it out of the clearance dollar section, that is how low I will go.) The tan Karabella Vintage Cotton ribbing was added because I thought I ran out of the Tahki Cotton Classic, but after my Flash Your Stash meme, I discovered I had squirreled away some of the black cotton, which might have been enough to finish the whole thing in black. Ah, well, that'll learn me to clean out my stash once in a while.

And if you haven't been following the Cover Your Head knitalong, here's some hats I've been cranking out:


A modified Halley's Comet Hat, from Marnie Maclean's pattern, and the Umbilical Cord hat, from Stitch and Bitch.



And here's a simple roll brim I whipped up out of scrap Manos del Uruguay and Tahki Donegal Tweed. I had just enough of both, so it worked out like a charm!

Lately, I've been knitting hats while watching movies, and it's funny how those projects will probably always remind me of what I watched as I knit. So I was thinking that, along with FO posts, I might give you all a little blurb on the movie (like Laura did the other day with Birth--don't rent it!).

I knit Halley's Comet while watching Shawn of the Dead, which was pee-in-your-pants hilarious and searing commentary on the malaise of the urban condition. All in one! I maybe exaggerate a bit about the searingness of it, but its most funny moments come when Shawn is initially unable to tell that the zombies have infested his neighborhood because, well, he's used to seeing people shuffling about, moaning, hands outstretched, after a Saturday night. Walking to the corner store while a man races past him as though trying to outrun a mugger (or a zombie)...no big whup.

The Scrap Hat I knit while watching Next Stop: Wonderland, an OK movie about a woman whose mother places a personals ad for her and who subsequently has a string of bizarre dating experiences. Like I can identify with this? (Yes. A WHOLE lot. But that is a subject for another blog.) I think I might have liked the movie more if I'd found the actress a smidgen more engaging, but Hope Davis goes through the entire movie like she's trying to act her way out of a Percodan bottle.

I dunno, is that harsh? It's just that I've also recently seen Me, You, and Everyone We Know, which was truly a fantastic movie. The characters in Wonderland were meant to be offbeat and funny, but they just really don't come close to how odd and quirky and endearing the folks are in Me, You, etc. The writer and director, Miranda July, also plays one of the lead roles; normally this would turn me off as the worst kind of narcissism, but she pulled the performance off with grace and humor (much like Steve Martin did in Shopgirl). This film is one of those ensemble pieces that have several interwoven storylines...rather than try to explain, I'll just let you click here to read more.

And Walk the Line? Two words for you ladies: Joaquin Phoenix. Nuff said? Run, don't walk, to see this film. (Oh, gawd. I'm turning into Gene Shalit before your very eyes!)

Monday, November 14, 2005

Would y'all get me a can of coke from the cellar before I put on my tennis shoes and run to the store that's catty corner from the roundabout?



Your Linguistic Profile:



70% General American English

15% Dixie

10% Yankee

5% Upper Midwestern

0% Midwestern



What Kind of American English Do You Speak?


Whuh? Hilarious, huh? Where'd all that Dixie come from? More than 23 years in Chicago, and it's been almost completely rubbed out by 4 years in Texas!

Sunday, November 13, 2005

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. (Or, Catching up with the Memes, Installment 2 of 3.)

Hey, Laura! Bet you thought I forgot about this Flash Your Stash Meme that you tagged me with, like, a hundred years ago! I promised I would do it when I had a space in my house sufficiently clean enough for a photo op, and a hundred years later, the unlikely has finally happened. A clean-ish room!

Here I am, luxuriating in my fiber. Actually, not really...my roommate, Jennifer, had to persuade me to take this shot; she had a vision, akin to Alma Lopez's take on the Virgen de Guadalupe, except with yarn, instead of flowers.

Initially, I hemmed and hawed and really did not relish the idea of diving into all my wool and mohair and acrylic. Considering it's still in the 80s in Austin. But, it turned out to be a fun pic! Jennifer calls it my "Goddess of the Yarn" picture. :-)



The other reason I was loathe to roll around in my skeins is that it's not a stash I'm particularly proud of. Hence, the title of this post.

The Good: I do have some nice things that I am looking forward to knitting with. I have some Jaeger stretch wool that I think might work for Joelle Hoverson's Hourglass Sweater, and four skeins of Wendy's Unique, a bulky wool/acrylic, that was a birthday gift last year and that I'm thinking about turning into a wrap.

The Bad: I have some khaki green Lana Grossa Pom Pon that I like in theory, but am at a loss as to what successful knit item it might become. A shawl? Meh. A bag? Perhaps. I remain uninspired.

But some of the stuff, i.e. the Ugly, I feel decidedly ambivalent about.



See the pile of vintage Shetland Wool in the top left corner and the cream and gray acrylic in the bottom left? When I was more on the newbie side of knitting, I became intoxicated with the stories people had of finding treasure troves of yarn at the Goodwill or yard sales. Wow! I dreamed of finding some fabulous yarn in a bag marked down to a dollar, just because someone had gotten bored with their new hobby.

Never happened, my friends. The best I did was find a dusty bag of this old shetland wool (bought because it was an even 10 in a bag, and well, that's cool, getting so much yarn for about three bucks, right?), and then the acrylic for probably about the same amount of money. Well, neither yarn is particularly fabulous and in fact makes me wonder about where it's been and I can't bring myself to throw it out or give it away, but I still can only hold it at arm's length.

Anyway, I had a pretty good idea of my inventory, because I really don't have a big stash, but it was great to see the odds and ends I'd forgotten about, like an almost entire ball of pink Cotton Ease and enough Manos yarn for a hat for the hatalong. So, this actually turned out to be a good meme, despite the dread I had in dragging all this stuff out into the light of day.

And talk about dragging stuff into the light of day....I hereby present to you, Mervin. The yarn I lovingly, eagerly spun from the roving gifted to me at the Austin KnitOut.



Meep. Errrp. Momma!

I named the yarn because when I first wound it up, inexplicably I was reminded of stories about people who'd had tumors removed, that actually had grown hair, and teeth, and nails...like, a grotesque little almost-human. (I even think that Stephen King incorporates this idea into The Dark Half.)

So, this yarn reminds me of a misbegotten little baby tumor, that not even its mother could love, but that should have a name nontheless. Mervin. (Apologies to any Mervins I may have as readers...I'm sure you're much more attractive than this yarn.)

But, happily, Mervin has found a home! A knitter friend came over last night and said nice things about Mervin (just to be polite, I'm sure), so I pressed it into her hands and urged her to take him home. She just finished a sweet pair of Fuzzy Feet, her first, smashingly successful attempt at felting, so she had the brilliant idea of making Mervin into cuffs for some felted slippers. I'm sure that Mervin will be very happy decorating someone else's ankles.

Tuesday, November 08, 2005

Threads and prayers

I came across this passage in my reading a while ago, and remembered that I wanted to share it (I inserted paragraph breaks for readability):

"They had whispered among them, las mujeres de la familia, about grandmother and how much of a nervous viejita she was...The only thing which calmed her nerves was to sit by the lantern and crochet.

When Petra's father was sick, tomorrow came and went and came and went until her father died and tomorrow still came and went and grandmother had crocheted perfect little diamonds through it all. What thoughts had gone through her grandmother's mind as she crocheted, what threads looped and knotted and disguised themselves as prayers?

And what had Petra learned from the trembling fingers which pulled a fine thread into the hook of the crocheting needle with such patience that the stitching was as intricate and as weather resistant as a spider's web? If only Petra was capable of crocheting, if only she could feel the threads slip in and out of her fingers like her grandmother once did, she wouldn't feel as if her own prayers turned into soot above her"(165-166).

This is from Under the Feet of Jesus by Helena Maria Viramontes, copyright 1995. Isn't it beautiful? I did an intricate cross-stitch once for Christmas, for my mom, and I worked on it during the final year or two of my marriage. It was a wreath, with different birds--a cardinal, bluebirds, sparrows. Every time I look at it hanging in my parents' living room, I think about what each stitch represents, and how it kept me sane.

Sunday, November 06, 2005

A little bit of this, a little bit of that...

First of all, some long overdue wedding weekend pictures to show!




This was the scene from our front "yard" at the Sea Lodge in La Jolla, California! We saw a jellyfish that had washed ashore--my roommate thought it was super cool. I thought it was gross and weird. Walking on the beach was fun, though. The sand looked like gold dust, and we saw millions of little seashells that were half-buried in the sand. At first we thought they were pebbles, but on closer inspection, we discovered that they were real little animals! And still alive, because we saw a few wriggling around, as though trying to get out of their shells. Being a bonafide, certified city girl and having limited experience with the ocean, this was pretty fricking cool. We proceeded to step on as many as we could as we walked down the beach, liking the feeling of the shells against our bare feet.

After our walk, we went back to our room to get ready for the wedding. It was beautiful, and touching, and personal, and funny (the celebrant was cracking so many jokes I was convinced that he would wrap up by saying that he'd be doing a comedy showcase in L.A. later that night).

Here are the beautiful bride and handsome groom:



Mariachis serenaded us after the ceremony:



And here's the Flower Basket Shawl, in all it's FO glory:



No better time than the present to do the specs. I'm posting them on my first giddy FO post about the shawl, just so it's self-contained and easier to find (now that I'm doing archival work at school, this is the kind of logic my brain follows...how can researchers best find this information? Obsessing over minute details, a Virgo's dream come true!).

There's just so much to post about today! I won't bore you with the details of my current fit of start-itis; let it just be said that I attempted to start Wheelie with some Cascade Fixation and didn't like the way the colors were patterning, so I started the Broadripple socks. Knitted on that for a while, but then decided I need a shrug more than I need socks right now, so I cast on for a One Skein Wonder, identical to the one I knit for my friend Alison. Lacking a swift and ball winder, I spent about an hour last night trying to wind the skein and then getting it all tangled, then untangling the black cotton as I watched Scarface on t.v. So now when I wear this shrug, I will forever be doomed to remember Al Pacino snarling, "Say hello to my little FRIEND!"*

The exciting news today is the knit along started by Laura: It's the Cover Your Head KAL! It's the most low-key, friendly fun knitalong, one that even I, the biggest committment-phobe, can agree to join. All you have to do is knit a hat, or two, or three--whichever you want, and there are no deadlines. Yay Laura! I think that I may knit a regular watch cap from the pink yarn I have left over from the Flower Basket and some blue I've got from the Viennese Shrug. And then I want to make one of Marnie Maclean's lovely lacy caps!

The other super exciting news is from the Austin Knit Out, held on Saturday, November 5, sponsored by the Lone Star State Knitters. These fantastic ladies gathered at the Borders in the Westgate Central Market shopping center, and offered knitting tips, hints, and techniques. And guess who learned to spin!

If I were a better blogger I'd have pictures of the blobby yarn I managed to eke out on Saturday, but that'll have to be a post for next time. Suffice it to say that a very patient, lovely lady simultaneously taught about three of us to spin with a drop spindle, and Peggy let us keep our spindles and a handful of roving to play with. Stunned, I accepted her lovely gift. She explained that it was much like dealing crack cocaine--you give a little sample and before you know it you've got them begging for more. Well, I paraphrase a little, but that's essentially the gist.

Now I'm gonna want to spin, as well as knit, and sew too (actually, my machine remains pristine inside its unopened box)! Dissertation? Whuh? Am I supposed to be writing one of those?


* Why is it that men love this movie so much? My ex-husband knew all the dialogue and could amuse himself for hours on end by repeating lines like the one above. I suppose that should have been plenty warning for me.

Wednesday, November 02, 2005

Catching up with the memes! Installment one of three.

Laura tagged me with this meme. Although I've been knitting for more than two years now, I feel kinda intimidated by this knitting meme. We'll see how I do....

1. What is your all-time favorite yarn to knit with?

Well, like most grad students, I suspect, I have champagne taste on a beer budget. I haven't really had the opportunity to knit with many different kinds of luxurious yarns, but I really enjoyed knitting with Karabella Breeze. That's the yarn I made my Flower Basket Shawl from...it's silk and cashmere, and I could feel both, if that makes any sense. A hint of raw silk slipping through my fingers, softened by the fluff of the cashmere.

2. Favorite needles?

I like the warmth of my Clover Bamboos. But I have to say that I'm eternally grateful I decided to invest in my Boye interchangeables. I know people have issues with the join, but apart from that, it's such a wonderful thing to have sizes 1 to 15 ready to go at a moment's notice!

3. What's the worst thing you ever knit?

Worst in what way? The X-back tank gave me the most headaches in getting gauge, for sure. I knit a top from Vogue once that is mostly unwearable because the eyelet lace makes it slightly pornographic (which is not an entirely bad thing given the appropriate situation). The Mud Flap Girl tank was just a disaster in the fit and the finish.

4. Favorite knit pattern? The most fun to knit?

I've discovered a love of lace, and anything lacy is fun for me. So the Flower Basket Shawl is a hands-down winner. But I also irrationally loved knitting the One Skein Wonder...I'd never knit anything top-down before, and had fun watching it take shape.

5. Most valuable knitting technique?

Again, not even sure that I've earned the knitting chops to answer this one! I guess I would have to say Kitchener...it's like magic!

6. Best knit book or magazine?

I love everything in Interweave Knits. Not an original sentiment, I'm sure, but it's so true for me that I finally caved in and got a subscription. Now my OCD makes me want to catalogue every pattern as each new issue appears, a la Meg Ryan with her index card video catalogue in When Harry Met Sally. Does anyone else do this, or am I a total freak?

7. Favorite knitalong?

Mmmm....no KALs yet, since my blog is rather new and because I have this fear of commitment and an even bigger fear that I will never finish my piece while everyone else not only finishes but turns out superstar knitting masterpieces. While mine languishes in the bottom of a plastic bag somewhere....

8. Favorite knitblogs?

Who doesn't love Crazy Aunt Purl? Even though her actual FOs are few and far between, that girl really knows the therapeutic value of knitting. (And red wine.)

9. Favorite knitwear designer?

Even though I've never knitted any of her designs, I love the fearlessness of Teva Durham's pieces.

10. The knit item that you wear the most?

Well, the thing that I have worn the most often is probably the hooded sweater from The Yarn Girls' Guide to Simple Knits (although I probably haven't worn it since February). It's made out of nummy Manos yarn in cherry red.

So who'ma gonna tag next? Only if you ladies want to, and only if you haven't already gotten this meme....Ashley and Elizabeth, my academic knitting comadres.

El Dia de los Muertos



Today's the day we remember those who have left this world, and celebrate life with our loved ones. Carpe diem, people!

No knitting news today, but many, many memes to catch up on for next time!